Tag Archives: Almond nouguts

Cold Winter, Connemara, Need To Bundle Up

Connemara Turf Mor – Peated & Cask Strength Irish whiskey

Ireland – 58%ABV – $80 | £51 | €60 – soon to be released – 20,000 bottles total

A short time back I was asked by the good folks at Cooley Distillery (currently, the only independent AND Irish owned distillery in operation in Ireland) if I was interested in trying a whisky that was yet to be released and if I’d post my thoughts on it.

My initial thought upon seeing this email from them was, to quote Jeffery “The Dude” Lebowski, “Does the pope shit in the woods!?”

For those who’ve not yet seen The Big Lebowski — go and rent it ASAP!!  Or, watch this summation (a word to the wise – there are a few cuss words in this video…):

OK, back to the matter at hand – peated Irish whiskey.  So, what’s it like?  You’ll see below.  I’ve reviewed their standard Peated Cask Strength whiskey here.  Let’s see how this differs…

On the nose — Fishing rubbers, bouncy balls & rubber chickens… I think you get the idea – very rubbery.

Lemon peel & espresso.

Raw, uncooked rhubarb.

A wee bit of soy sauce.

On the mouth — Peaty yet not a smoke-bomb; earthy yet sweet; wet stones & flint yet grassy.

Immensely fruity — think citrus and over-tart purple plums (more tart, less plum).

All the bite you get in pickled ginger without the ginger.

Wicked mouthfeel – all of these flavors make your mouth water something fierce making the experience a nice creamy one.

Finish — Almond paste with the most minor hint of vanilla.  Tannic, hot and pretty lengthy.

In sum — I’m not going to lie — this whisky is not for everyone.  However, if you like the more medicinal/peaty/earthy whiskies – this will please you.  It’s a powerful whisky for sure – one for the colder season (smart of Cooley Distillery to release it in December).

An everyday dram, Arran

The Arran Malt 10yr – a young beauty not to be overlooked

Islands region – 46%ABV – $40-45 | £28 | €33

Hidden jems, most of the time are not really hidden.  Oftentimes they simply go undetected; even in plain sight.

At 15 years of age, The Arran Malt Distillery is one of the newer kids on the block.  So, you may not heave heard of them just yet.

There’s nothing over-the-top or super eye-catching about their standard packaging (though, I think the bottles have a bit of a regal look to them).  So, you may have overlooked them in the single malt section of your local spirits shop.

I’m going to dedicate the next couple of weeks to The Arran Malt Distillery and their whiskies.  I feel as if I’ve stumbled upon a bit of a hidden gem here and I want to share my findings with you.

Let’s start with their entry level dram – the 10 year old:

On the nose — Aggressive young nose with an initial sea element to it.

Something a bit smokey too (this is not peated but there are mere hints of a beach bonfire).

Getting beyond this and you’ll find obvious notes of crystalized ginger and red delicious apples (or perhaps, delicious red apples).

Hot cinnamon.

Malt, lots of it.

On the mouth — Nice mouth feel, even steven.

Caramels and almond nougats.

Hot apple cider.

More of the ginger I detected on the nose but not as upfront on the palate.

Wet paper bags filled with white berries (perhaps gooseberry).

Finish — Longy McLongerson, refreshing and sweet.

In sum — The balance is fantastic.  It’s not everyday you find an everyday dram but, damn, I done found one!  Complex, a bit challenging, immensely enjoyable and easily drunk (the fluid, not me).