Connemara Turf Mór is Cooley's latest addition to both its Connemara peated Irish Whiskey lineup and its limited edition small batch (<20,000 bottles) offerings. But as its name implies -- "mór" is Irish for big, great -- Connemara Turf Mór is a peaty powerhouse. To say that it "heavily peated" doesn't quite do it justice. It would be more accurate to say that it's HEAVILY PEATED (but light to drink; more on that later).

Mór, Mór, Mór
Like its brandmates, it provokes strong and unequivocal reactions in people who try it. You'll either really, really love it, or you really, really won't. I love the stuff myself, and completely concur with the description given to it by its creator, Cooley's Master Blender Noel Sweeney. He calls is a "savage beauty." That covers it pretty well. Generally you'll find one drinker who likes it for every two who, well, freak out. Though I should add that it was a strong favorite at a recent Irish Whiskey Society tasting in Dublin.



Phenols-Envy
The peatiness of a given whiskey/whisky is broadly measure in parts per million (ppm) of phenols. The phenols are what gives it the smoky or even antiseptic mouthwash aroma and taste. The peatier Islay Scotches range from around 35-40 ppm for Lagavulin and Laphroig to 50+ for Ardbeg. I'm generally not a fan of the the super-peats like Laphroig which is heavy and has a persistent smokiness that tastes like I've been licking the inside of a stovepipe. Connemara Turf Mór comes in at over 50 ppm. It is a peatbog monster and is bottled at a robust cask strength of 58 percent ABV.  But it is light, pleasantly assertive and has a clean, non-medicinal finish that surprises you when you realize it's a three-year-old whiskey.

My reluctance to give standard tasting notes is only reinforced when it comes to Connemara. However I describe the nose, taste and finish, some people will say, "yeah, that's about right," while others will simply say, "WTF!". (Sort of like when I describe my 100+-pound German Shepherds as "big babies.") So here are some observations:

Pour. Sip. Re-PEAT
The nose is PEAT, or more like PEAT!!! But to me it's a clean smokiness with a punch of phenols.  A sip or two at cask strength produces a forensic wrestling match on your tongue to sort out the components blasting out from the explosion of PEAT that hint at flavors hidden in the smoke. Just a drop or two of water softens the explosion ever so slightly and allows flavors and scents of fruit, flowers and and a hint of vanilla to ride alongside the PEAT.



As a limited bottling, the price will come in around $70.

Connemara Craic Mór
I think that the folks at Cooley are having fun in creating whiskeys like Turf Mór. That's the spirit you should have when trying it, in addition to a sense of adventure and a willingness to expand your whiskey horizons. It is a great bit of craic, and that, in the end, is what whiskey is all about.