Kilbeggan/Cooley. Beam Suntory's piece of Irish whiskey.

Kilbeggan. Again, similar to Tullamore D.E.W., this is a visitor experience. As some of you may know Kilbeggan whiskey is actually produced at Cooley Distillery along with other brands such as Tyrconnell and Connemara. Cooley was recently bought out by Beam Suntory, so this small, visitor center experience is definitely just for historical purposes. Either way, it was a great opportunity to try all of the Cooley distilled products. There was however a small working micro distillery on site at the historical center. I am not sure if anything coming out of there is actually bottled.

Here is the Cooley lineup that I was able to try…

Tyrconnell- Non-Age Statement

Holly’s Tasting Note..

Nose: Pineapple, peanuts, malt and dried banana chips.

Palate: Not as sweet as the nose, much tarter, honey comb cereal, vanilla ice cream and maybe some tropical fruit.

Tyrconnell has some decent bottlings. Most of them are aged 10 years and clearly called out to be finished in different, unique casks.

Kilbeggan 8 Year Old Singe Grain Irish whiskey

Holly’s Tasting Note..

Nose: Laffy taffy, toffee crunch, sweet peach.

Palate: Tart peach/apple, wood sliver, some sort of tea and grainy.

Total column still production!

Kilbeggan Traditional Irish whiskey

Holly’s Tasting Note..

Nose: Peanut brittle, multi-grain crackers, dry peanuts, something slightly sweet.

Palate: Grassy, a bit syrupy and lemon tea.

This is a non-age statement, classic bottling.

Connemara Original peated Irish whiskey

Holly’s Tasting Note..

Nose: Lavender/vanilla peat, burnt peach pie.

Palate: Rougher and dirtier peat than the nose, burnt orange and a little woody.

My first peated Irish whiskey!

Skip the Kilbeggan experience and see if you can get into the actual Cooley distillery! That will be my stop next time I am in Ireland.