World Whiskey Review #45: Tyrconnell 15 Year Madeira Cask Finish
Distillery: Cooley
Region: County Louth, Ireland
Age: 15 Year.
ABV: 46.00%
Cask Type: Ex-Bourbon maturation, Madeira Finish
Color: 1.3, Russet/Muscat.
Nose: Very fruity and juicy, though on the lighter side. Fresh green apples, papaya, and some kind of a red fruit come through. There is also a light grassy note as well.
Palate: Much like the nose, it’s fruity. A sweet red wine is the first note out of the gate. It’s joined by some grassy malt. With a bit of water, things get super “fresh”. A lot of grass and hay pop out along with some slightly underripe green apples.
Finish: Long. It starts off malt heavy before transitioning into herbs and aromatics. Cardamom and menthol come through the most. There’s vanilla cream, and lots of it, along with tannins. It’s slightly nutty, almost to the level of a finish of wine from new French oak casks. With water, it does become one dimensional very quickly with vanilla cream being the only thing that survives.
Conclusion: All of the Irish whisky I’ve had to date has come from the behemoth that is the Midleton Distillery in Cork so I was delightfully pleased to find this at a hotel bar. I have to say, it’s quite nice. It’s fruity throughout, with some lovely orchard and tropical fruits in the nose and palate. The finish at full strength is a lot of fun, with the aromatics and bit of nuttiness working so nicely. The fresh grass and hay notes that pop out with a bit of water keep things fun and make for a really easy drinking as well. While the whisky didn’t hold a candle to the view I enjoyed it in, it’s still quite enjoyable in its own right. Would I buy a bottle? Probably not, but I’d order this again at a bar.
Final Score: 80.
World Whiskey Review #45, Irish Whiskey Review #13, Whisky Network Review #426
Scoring Legend:
- 96-100: The perfect dram, nectar of the gods.
- 90-95: Near perfect, there is something truly special about this whisky.
- 85-89: Amazing, will always try to keep a bottle of this in my collection (if feasible).
- 80-84: Very Good, maybe only one minor nitpick about the whisky keeping it here.
- 75-79: Good, quite enjoyable to drink.
- 70-74: Solid, wouldn’t go out of my way to get it.
- 60-69: Meh, still drinkable.
- Below 59: If you have a bottle of this, start cooking with it instead.
