So there I was, innocently minding my own fuzzy-minded Saturday morning business at the liquor store (I know that sounds dodgy but stay with me here) looking to pick up a couple of bottles of red wine and other stuff for various upcoming events when I decided to take a peek at the Irish whiskey section. It was just for yucks as I know this liquor store pretty well and nothing had really changed there in months.

I'm glad I looked.

The three squat green bottles of Connemara single malt peated whiskeys were lined up shoulder to shoulder on the shelf. Actually, two of them are in paper or wooden tube packaging in case you go looking. All a-twitter, I immediately grabbed one of each and completely forgot about the wine. What can I say? I'm easily amused.

Why So Excited?
Connemara is different from most Irish whiskeys in that the malted barley is dried over peat smoke fires similar to how Scotch is made. To distinguish it from its Irish relatives the labels clearly state that it's "peated." It comes in three varieties: Connemara, Connemara 12 Year Old, and Connemara Cask Strength. I know from Sláinte readers that Connemara is available in the States but I hadn't seen any since last year in Dublin. I simply hadn't been able to get my hands on some.

By the way, the Connemara whiskeys are more terrific products from Cooley Distillery, the only independent distillery of the three in Ireland. Cooley also produce Greenore, Tyrconnell, Lockes, Millars, Kilbeggan, Locke's and Inishowen branded whiskeys, each with their own distinct qualities.

Not to overstate the obvious, but the peat defines the Connemara whiskeys. And while you might be tempted to compare them to various scotches, the Connemara trio are different drinks than scotch and from other Irish whiskeys. I found them lighter, more delicate and more subdued than many scotches, and yet they are fully, head-on assertive, loud and proud, peated whiskeys. They share some of the astringent mouth feel and antiseptic tones of some small batch scotches I've tried. But they are -- to be sure -- not Irish whiskeys that don peat coats to mime scotch. They are Irish whiskeys that offer their own different, distinct and pleasing experiences.



Initial Impressions
The "standard" Connemara is light gold in color with assertive peatiness and oak impressions that are powerful but not overpowering, and it delivers a moderate and pleasant finish.

The 12-year-old is fuller and richer in nose, taste and color than the younger "Standard." It's as if the volume of the song has been turned up to where you can really pick out the notes, flourishes, solos and nuances, along with a longer and clearer finish.

At 57.9% ABV or 116 proof, you might think that the Connemara Cask Strength will hit you smack in the nose, mouth and palate. And yet, it offers the faintest golden color and the slightest nose, is warm, almost sweet in the mouth with a surprisingly light smoothness for such strength. It builds in taste and sensation to a crescendo that finishes really, really well. I think part of the pleasure is how the experience differs from the expectation generated by its name and undiluted character.

I genuinely like all three, though the Cask Strength really distinguished itself.

But...
No buts from me. I'm a Connemara fan. And one of my brothers too came back for more of the Cask Strength. But some of my other whiskey-drinking siblings were less impressed, with my oldest brother saying that all three Connemaras were a "toss-up between Ronsonol and Zippo" lighter fluids. My sister scrunched up her face and frantically fluttered her hands in the air, while another brother berated me for having him try it in the first place. No accounting for taste, as they say. I tried to offer some, um, perspective and assuagement by having them try a little Laphroig 12-year-old scotch -- probably the peatiest creation known to mankind; it's as if you sat downwind of a turf fire for three days and got it in your clothes, sinuses and pores -- but they found little comfort. I poured them some Green Spot (another new addition and the topic of the next entry) and that set everything right again.

I plan to increase my sample size beyond my family, of course. And I'll be curious to have some of my scotch-drinking friends try on a little Connemara and will report the results. Either way, Connemara makes a strong impression.