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Irish Whiskies
by F. S. Fitzgerald

So it falls to me to assess these Irish whiskies. So be it.

Kilbeggan (80 proof) The bargain bottle of the bunch. Produced by the Cooley Distillery, which opened in 1989, and bottled at the ancient Lockes Distillery in Kilbeggan. It spent 3 years in barrel and tastes of pear, caramel, stiff barrel, and a touch of spearmint. Add a few drops of water to rub the heat off and make it more buttery. A solid Irish whiskey. (Rating ***1/4)

The Tyrconnell (80 proof) The Andrew A. Watt & Co. distillery cropped up in 1762; The Tyrconnell brand in 1876. But the stuff in this bottle is made at the aforementioned, young Cooley distillery. Got all that? No? That's fine. We're here to taste not delve into the arcana about brand vs. distillery vs. bottler vs...This is a fine Irish single malt whiskey: rich with barley, berries, barrel and a dry close. Lovely balance. Like Kilbeggan, it's

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imported by Premium Imports Ltd., a subsidiary of Heaven Hill Distilleries of Bardstown, Kentucky. (Rating ****1/4)

Connemara (116.4 proof)
This, dear readers, is no whiskey for the novice or light-weight. It's huge, the only peated single malt Irish whiskey. It too is made at Cooley, but is imported by Preiss Imports (http://PreissImports.com). It's quite like a single malt scotch: smoky, with a touch of iodine, salt, and very spicy. I had to cut this one with plenty of water. Sui generis, wholly unratable, and something the malt lover must try.

Knappogue Castle 1951 (80 proof)
A half century old- gadzooks. It seems a shame to drink it: there's so little of it left. Great Spirits (http://www.GreatSpirits.com) only releases 300 bottles each year, and that stock won't be round for too much longer. Then again, whiskey is made for sipping not staring at. So in it goes. Wow. One word: peculiar. Whether it was the time in barrel or some mysterious magic at work, this malt tastes like no others. Its primary notes are apple, licorice, honey, and tons of barrel. Baffling. There's no yard stick that can measure this one. Seek it out, drop all expectations, and enjoy.

Other Irish Whiskies

These aren't the only Irish whiskies we've reviewed. We've also examined Jameson (including the standard, the 1780, and the Gold), Brennan's, Bushmills, Knappogue Castle 1992, and… See them by surfing to AlcoholReviews.com. Just type "Irish Whiskey" into the search engine, click "Go Get It" and links to the reviews will appear.

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Reviewed 03/02

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