Review by: TOModera
It’s that green time of year again, and much like most people hobbling out of their 20’s, my St. Patrick’s day festivities is one drink and maybe reading a book.
I know, I’m such a party animal. At least I get to stop in at WW, which is doing well.
That one dram is in celebration of the patron Saint of Ireland (as well as Engineers and Nigeria). I guess I should have built a bridge and eaten Shuku Shuku while drinking this. Oh well, next year.
Today I’ll be reviewing Connemara Peated Single Malt. Made by the Cooley company (which has a name that sounds like it was founded by the Fonze), this Irish whiskey is double distilled in 2 small pot stilled, aged in American oak casks, a mixture of young and old whiskies, and Peated to the hilt.
So raise your Shamrocks up, be happy for the buildings you’re in, go to Church if that’s your persuasion, and pick up Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe (Nigerian writer), it’s a day to celebrate.
Distillery: Connemara (Cooley) Distillery.
Bottler: Distillery Bottling.
Region: Ireland.
ABV: 40%.
Age: Unknown.
Cask type: Unknown.
Price: $54.25 (CAD).
Color: Bronze.
Nose: Peat, chocolate, fresh cream, pepper, hot metal, applewood, iodine (light), fresh bread
So this smells exactly as you’d expect. There’s peat, there’s the creamy element, there’s the metal from the copper still, some mixture creating applewood, a little salt, and some yeast, as it’s Irish.
No snakes though, so it has that going for it, which is nice. It’s not Islay level strong either, kinda weak.
Taste: Caramel, wax chocolate, smoke, pepper, watered down Sunny-D, dry apple
Wax chocolate meaning those Easter eggs that are covered in wax, not fake chocolate. But let’s move on, don’t want to get our general celebrations with Christian influences mixed up.
Again, nothing too “out there”, but there’s some nice smoke. Almost like two drams in one. Maybe there are two….
Finish: Chocolate, peat, fruit punch, almond paste, smoke
Peat comes back, almost like it grows into something larger, like a tree from a walking stick.
Kinda smooth too, which is nice. You can tell the additional distillation has added to the silky mouth feel on it.
Conclusion: It’s…. okay. I mean, it has good flavours to it, the additional distillation process, which I don’t understand at all, is making it silky smooth, and the peat adds to it. However… well, I’m missing the aspect that makes it Irish. Maybe that was lost in the low Abv. I wanted some more of the almond paste or orange elements or some more yeast to say “Fiddly Dee Potatoes”.
Oh well, it’s still a nice day, it’s still a good dram, and I wouldn’t turn it down. Maybe the Cask Strength or other Connemara’s will fill my wants, and this is just the beginning.
Final Score: 80.
Scoring Legend:
- 95-100: As good as it gets. Jaw-dropping, eye-widening, unforgettable whisky.
- 90-94: Sublime, a personal favorite in its category.
- 85-89: Excellent, a standout dram.
- 80-84: Quite good. Quality stuff.
- 75-79: Decent whisky worth tasting.
- 70-74: Meh. It’s definitely drinkable, but it can do better.
- 60-69: Not so good. I might not turn down a glass if I needed a drink.
- 50-59: Save it for mixing.
- 0-49: Blech.
Malt Runners 