Irish Whiskey – Connemara Cask Strength Peated Single Malt Whiskey
Off we go again on the greatest rollercoaster in the world. A tasting session with the Whisky Boys. It is early on the Saturday evening 27th June 2009 and we are sitting around Dougie’s tasting table situated in his games/pool room, great place for a tasting.
We mentioned in our tasting of the Kilbeggan 15 Year Old Blend, that Phil (who again is with us for this tasting) was going to bring out of his “plastic bag” another bottle for our tasting, and it is an Irish Whiskey – Connemara Cask Strength Peated Single Malt Whiskey.
It was at this point that Phil admitted that he is not a lover of any Whiskies that are peated, and was expecting not to like the Connemara.
People are very interested in tasting Whiskeys in their most natural form – straight from the cask. Connemara Cask Strength offers a unique experience to taste Connemara in its unaltered state. The Cask Strength bottling of Connemara was recently awarded the prestigious title of “Worlds Best Un-Aged Irish Single Malt” at the 2008 World Whisky Awards.
Due to the nature of its distillation, Malt Whisky tends to have more flavour and character than Grain whiskey. The ingredients are simply 100% malted barley, water and yeast, distilled in small batches using copper pot stills. Subtle changes in how the barley is malted or the Whisky matured have a profound effect on it’s taste
As mentioned in the tasting session of Kilbeggan this wee nip comes from the same stable Cooley Distilleries plc. check out the website www.cooleywhiskey.com we do suggest you have a look at this site for all the information on the distilleries and the great range of products they have.
Okay lets move onto the tasting.
Connemara Cask Strength Peated Single Malt Irish Whiskey, Natural Cask Strength 57.9% Alc/vol
The tasting
The colour…pale golden straw.
Dougie’s tasting
Nose…Delicate floral notes, with a background of medicinal notes.
Taste…Full bodied but sweet, followed by an unexpected attack of the spices, wow!
Finish…Long, lingering, slightly peppery, with smoldering peat going on and on. Deceptively delicious.
Phil’s tasting
Nose…An antiseptic rub – with the addition of water a very fruity aroma comes forward.
Taste…Embers of peat fire smoke, smoldering in the background and it just bursts into life.
Finish…Lingering finish, unbelievable subtle dram.
Jim’s tasting
Nose…Strong and peaty with Germaline ointment, very complex.
Taste…Strong and meaty, a big peat fire is going on. little touches of chocolate and dried citrus fruit. plenty of fireworks on the palate. A full bodied dram.
Finish…Quite long and fabulous, no hiding place for these flavours, what a huge surprise this has been, a great dram.
Well every one of us are gob smacked this is a first class dram on every level, even Phil is still (days after) unable to believe that he found this to be one of best tastes in a Whisky he has ever had.
Keep up the good work down their in Cooley Distilleries, because whatever it is that you are doing, you are doing it much better than many others and that there is no doubt.
Phil, you did it again pulled another one out of the bag (plastic bag)
Due to shortage of time we are keeping Phil’s other selection for another day, it is also a Connamara.
Phil’s final tasting this visit will be A Glenfarclas 12 year old and that tasting will be up shortly.
With fresh glasses charged Phil, Jim and Dougie made their way to the pool table to enjoy a few games and savour some fabulous Single Malts, what a good life this is.
Now if anyone out there get to the mentioned distilleries before we do, remember to tell them the Whisky Boys sent you.
