Review #111: Cooley 13yr 1999/2013, 51.4% abv, The Whisky Mercenary, peated

so basically this is single-cask Connemara

It would be nice to get in a Cooley High reference, but sometimes things don't work out. All the same, this recently reappeared at Whiskysite.nl, so it seems like a good time to write it up. Casks of Cooley should be drying up since the distillery, I hear, stopped selling them out (except to Teeling?). I don't know why -- it's not like they have the "Cooley" brand to protect, but it seems to be Beam's way. This is single malt, from a pot still, I believe.

nose: it's not overwhelming, but it's a slightly acrid peat, with lots of dark smoke and forest floor. behind that there's some creamy malt and melon. Beyond that there's some banana, lemon drops, chamomile, and marshmallows, but that all takes a while to open up. It's nice when it does.

palate: sweet and indistinct. I got berries and bourbon vanilla for a second, and then it disappears.

finish: the peat comes back strong and sharp, until some Juicy-Fruit sweetness washes it away. And then peat comes back, at once creamier and more medicinal.


I can't quite figure this one out. Every sip seems different: sometimes it's a mouthful of acrid peat, sometimes it's melons and candy, sometimes it becomes creamier and maltier. Maybe it just takes more patience than I have, but the parts don't seem to come together for me. This is almost great, but I might just not like Cooley as much as some others do.

score: 85

Review #85: Green Spot Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey, OB, NAS, 40%, L405831033

how long do you think the label designer spent on this one?

I believe firmly that Irish whiskies are best consumed in the frigid months, but this one was on the floor in a cardboard box at the local BoozeMart for $45 (or $44.99 plus tax), and it seemed like a nice change of pace.

This is distilled at Midleton, like Redbreast (e.g.). It is a blend of sherry and bourbon casks, like Redbreast. It's triple distilled ... I saw somewhere that the recipe is different from Redbreast -- does that mean the proportion of malted/unmalted barley? According to the reliable wikipedia, it's between 8-9 years old and 25% sherry casks. (other sources say 7-10 years.) No doubt there is a funny story about how it's got its name. I'm calling it OB because the owner of the distillery is the same as the owner of the brand.

nose: cooked cereals, apricots, a little menthol, gooseberries, bourbony vanilla, figs, zesty apples. the label says "aromatic oils" -- I guess so -- there's a little sandalwood in there. sassafras, too. some of the fruitiness is a nice cross between tropical and stewed sherry fruits. coconut. something else -- hazelnut?

palate: nicely round and oily. 40% works well here -- the fruit is a little tangy, and this is about as refreshing as whiskey can get. a little bit of oaky body.

finish: uneventful, but the bourbony-sherry fruit lingers.

For me, there's something weirdly paradigmatic about this whiskey, even though I've never had it before: this is my impression of what the Form of Irish whiskey is supposed to taste like. This is very likeable whisky. Redbreast is deeper, more complex, but this is more fun. I could say it hits the spot, but there are no puns here in the TastingDome. Anyway, extra points for fun.

score: 84

Review #37: Redbreast 12yr Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey, 40% abv, OB

that's 'whiskey' with an 'e'

I never noticed that before: it's spelled "whiskey." Finally the orthographic payoff to writing these reviews.

So this is, I believe, a mix of malted and unmalted barley from the pot stills at Midleton -- i.e., Jameson without the grain whisk(e)y. Some of it is matured in sherry casks, some of it not. (I think most of it in old refill casks.) Even though it's a light-ish whiskey, my impression is that it goes all out of balance when the weather's warm -- it's a really a dead-of-winter whisky. We'll get started on it early anyway.

Nose: an almost estery fruitiness, which I can't help associating with Juicy Fruit gum. I used to really like Juicy Fruit, but I don't want it here ... then some fresh cereals, dried fruits, and some kind of oil. I've seen "linseed" in reviews before, but to me it's more of a machine oil, like the stuff that goes in a chain saw. Some oakiness, too.

Palate is soft and sweet, with the fruits really coming to the fore: some sherried fruits (raisins and prunes and so on), but then a blast of apples/apricots/Juicy Fruit. Ends on oak spices and lots of creamy vanilla.

What I like about it most is the cereal flavors that mix with the sweet vanilla. The oiliness gives it a little weight -- the whole would be cloying without it -- and generally it's pleasant without being particularly interesting.

score: 81