Connemara Peated 2001 Review


“A Missed Opportunity”

Country: Ireland
Brand: Connemara 2001 Peated Single Cask
Type: Single Malt Whiskey
Age: Slightly over 10 Years
ABV: 46%
Whisky Review # 554
Sample provided by Jan from the Netherlands. Many thanks! 

Colour: Chardonnay (Artificially Coloured). Based on the Colour I would say that Cask # 1075 was not a very active one. 

Nose: While the Alcohol is noticeable, it doesn't seriously affect the nosing procedures. The Peat and Smoke are there of course but not in an aggressive way when compared to the standard Peated Connemara. The Peat also smells different when compared to the Islay Malts. The Connemara Peat reminds me more of a Car Repair Shop with Aromas such as Rubber, Diesel, Metal and Plastic. I do get Soot and Ashes as well. Among the other Aromas I find Toasted Barley, Straw, Heather, Nuts, Dried Herbs, Citrus, Pear, light Vanilla and a hint of Aniseed. The Nose confirms that Cask # 1075 has not been very active. While not bad, I had slightly higher expectations of this Cask Strength expression. It's all a little bit understated. 

Taste: Good delivery thanks to the correct ABV. Sweet with a light Bitterness for Balance. I find Earthy Peat, Burnt Grass, Straw, Toasted Cereals, Rubber, light Plastic, Diesel, Vanilla, Pear, Lemon, Grapefruit, Marzipan, Pepper, Aniseed, Oak and Toasted Nuts.   

Finish: Quite Long. Sweet at first but Dry later on and with a light Bitterness towards the end. I find Earthy Peat, Smoked Meat, Soot, Ashes, Rubber, Plastic, Diesel, Straw, Grass, Caramel, Toasted Barley, Pepper, Ginger, Salted Nuts, Licorice, Pear Drops, Lemon and a touch of Vanilla. 

With a couple of drops of water the Nose becomes very Grassy. I also get an image of Smoked Pears. Quite unusual! On the Palate, Grapefruit Juice, Pepper and Ashes come to the front. I find a little Milk Chocolate as well. As usual I prefer to sip it neat but you can carefully add a few drops of Water if you like!

Rating: 82.5 

Nose: 20.5 – Taste: 20.5 – Finish: 21 – Overall: 20.5 

Bottle # 142

General Remarks: The Connemara Peated Cask Strength Whiskey is part of the standard Distillery Expressions. The Single Cask I'm tasting today however was especially selected for the International Whisky Festival that took place in the Grote Kerk in The Hague from November 18 - November 20, 2011. Ex-Bourbon Cask # 1075 was distilled on March 13, 2001 and bottled on September 13, 2011. My sample was drawn from bottle # 142. Connemara is double-distilled at the Cooley Distillery that is owned by Beam Suntory since 2012. The peated Malt is actually bought from Port Ellen at Islay. I'm pretty sure there will be a few bottles of this special edition around but I have no idea of the prices. At the time it was sold at around 70 US Dollars but I would expect the price to be considerably higher today.

Drinking Experience Straight: Good but slightly below expectations.  

Conclusion: As you all know I am in general not a huge fan of Irish Whiskey. I believe that Triple Distillation takes away too many Aromas and Flavours. But this Connemara is only Double-Distilled and bottled at 46% so my expectations were higher than usual. I must admit though that I was slightly disappointed although this Connemara is not at all a bad Whiskey. First of all there's the Peat. It's in no way aggressive but it does have these Diesel, Rubber and Plastic characteristics that you have to like. It's kind of weird as Cooley buys the peated Malt from Port Ellen on Islay. My second issue is with the cask. Most of the Aromas and Flavours I found are quite understated and the Toasted Grain and Pear are still quite evident. The cask was not able to supply lots of additional impressions to the Spirit. With a better cask this could have been a great Irish Whiskey. As it stands, it's good but not special.

Jan van den Ende                                                                 August 29, 2016

Cooley Distillery

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