Brand: Connemara Turf Mor
Type: Single Malt Whiskey
Age: NAS (Most likely around 3 Years)
ABV: 58.2%
Colour: Pale Straw/White Wine
Nose: The Cooley Distillery bought the heavily Peated Malt from Port Ellen on Islay so you would expect a similar Nose as, say a young Ardbeg or Laphroaig. But that is not the case. The Peat and Smoke are there of course but they don't remind me of Sea, Wet Earth or Campfire. It's more Artificial and Metallic. It reminds me of a Car Repair Shop. I get Rubber Tyres, Diesel Oil and Plastic. The Spirit itself still has a New Make feel to it with Pear, Cherries and lots of Barley. It's mostly Sweet and some Floral, Herbal and Farmyard notes come through like Straw, Cow Shed and Heather. Finally I find some Leather, Nuts, Cooked Cauliflower and Citrus. The Alcohol is there of course but it didn't bother me a lot while Nosing. The Nose of the Turf Mor is not bad but I had expected a lot more from this Connemara.
Taste: Young, Bitter-Sweet and Edgy with Grass, Hay, light Smoke, Burnt Rubber, Plastic, Struck Matches, Diesel, Cereals, Smoked Salty Bacon, Bitter Grapefruit, Nuts, light Vanilla, Pepper, Dried Herbs and a hint of Aniseed.
Finish: Quite Long, Medicinal, Dry and slightly Bitter with Dirty Earth, Plastic, Soot, Ashes, Burnt Grain, Caramel, Smoked Sausage, Nuts, Citrus, Pepper and light Licorice.
With a couple of drops of water the Nose gets less Peaty and more Fruity with Pears and Green Apples. On the Palate and in the Finish, the Turf Mor almost becomes a peated Obstler (German Fruit Liqueur). You can certainly experiment with a bit of Water. The more you add however, the less the Turf Mor resembles
Whiskey.
Whiskey.
Rating: 82
Nose: 21 – Taste: 20.5 – Finish: 20 – Overall: 20.5
General Remarks: The Turf Mor was released in 2010 and is the 2nd expression in Connemara's Small Batch collection. The Phenol level of over 55 PPM is quite high and similar to Ardbeg. The peated Malt is actually bought from Port Ellen at Islay. The Turf Mor is not Chill-Filtered and bottled at Cask Strength. It basically matured in Ex-Bourbon Casks but I would not rule out that a couple of Sherry Casks were used as well. Connemara is distilled at the Cooley Distillery that is owned by Beam Suntory since 2012. The Turf Mor costs around 80 US Dollars and that's very expensive for such a young Whiskey (July 2015).
Drinking Experience Straight: Okay/Interesting/Different
Conclusion: It was certainly interesting to try a sample of this Connemara Turf Moor. But no way I would spend 80 US Dollars or so on a full bottle. While Nosing and Tasting, I thought a couple of times that this Spirit could be an interesting basis material for a true Whiskey. Because the Turf More tastes unfinished and edgy and would clearly benefit from a longer cask maturation.
The Spirit deserves that as it shows potential even at this young age. The Turf Mor is quite different from your average young Islay although it uses the same Peated Malt from Port Ellen. Don't expect Bonfires on a Sandy Beach because you will be disappointed. But people who repair cars might feel at home with all the Rubber, Plastic, Soot and Diesel. In this respect, the Turf Moor is certainly a different type of Whiskey. Not really my taste though. And without any doubt too expensive!