Connemara Peated Single Malt [RE-REVIEW]

Thanks to /u/devoz for this sample.

Which he gave to me as he feels I’ve matured and changed my view on this dram.

Actually because he looked over my old review and said “Wow, that score is too high”.

Which I then read up on, wondering “Hmmm, I haven’t read that in awhile.” I actually don’t read my own reviews too often, as I’m not a narcissist. It’s just a thing I have.

What I can say is when I re-read the review, I thought it was solid… Until I got to the score. I think past TOModera may have been too nice on the whisky. Or maybe loving peat too much back then. Or maybe just didn’t know his style yet.

Who knows. What I do know is I was handed this Single Malt, the Connemara Peated Single Malt as a sample to make up for it. And totally not to help kill off the bottle.

Totally.

So Connemara Peated Single Malt is different from other Irish whiskey. They source the barley from Scotland, and make it like a Scottish malt. At Cooley. There you have it. It’s the entry malt in the lineup, which so far (for me) goes up to 22 years old. I’m sure there’s older out there though, as I have a gut feeling I just can’t find them.

So let’s see how this tastes, shall we?

Price: No longer available at the LCBO

Region: Ireland

Abv: 40%

Colour: 5Y 9/8

Nose: Cocoa, earth, moss, wood, lemon rind

Soft nose. Quite light. Lots of cocoa and earth notes. Simple and complex peat notes, which is where I think I was confused in my original review.

Taste: Melon, salish, wood, caramel, sour

Simple mouthfeel. It’s quite sour. The smoke is there, in a brine way which means the peat was from a coastal region, perhaps Port Ellen. Just maybe.

Sweet taste. Again, looking back, I think my sweet tooth plus wanting peated everything made this up my alley, and made me ignorant of the actual quality. There’s too much salt here.

Finish: Lime, peat, ham, yeast, caramel

Lots of salt on the finish. Way too much. It pairs well with the caramel, and the acidity is nice, however at the end of the day it’s too much.

Conclusion: I was wrong, it’s too salty. It’s young, and those harsh notes need to be aged out. If you love peat and need something cheaper, and perhaps live in a province that hates peated whisky and therefore prices them wacky, this could be an option.

Overall it’s light, too salty, and could be better. But what do we expect from an entry malt? Not the world, that’s for certain. At least now that I’m older. And somewhat wiser.

73/100

World Whiskey review #288, Ireland review #70, Whiskey Network review #1267