Connemara Original

Nose

A wonderful combination of sweet honey, roasted malt, and gentle peat smoke. Aromas of vanilla, green apple, and subtle spices fill the glass, with a hint of citrus and a delicate floral note in the background.

Taste

The smokiness comes forward immediately but is well-balanced by notes of honey, vanilla, and ripe pear. A touch of spiciness from pepper and nutmeg adds depth, while hints of toasted oak and a soft caramel finish complete the profile.

Finish

Long and warming, with lingering peat smoke that gradually fades into sweet vanilla and a touch of oak. A light maritime character remains, providing a fresh and engaging finish.

Connemara is an Irish single malt whiskey brand introduced by Cooley Distillery in 1996. The distillery had been founded by John Teeling in 1987, breaking the near monopoly that existed within the Irish whiskey industry at the time. With Connemara, Cooley deliberately pursued a style far removed from the smooth, unpeated whiskey with which Ireland had become most closely associated.

Connemara is made from malted barley dried over peat fires. The spirit is double distilled in copper pot stills rather than triple distilled, as is common for many Irish whiskeys. Maturation takes place primarily in former bourbon barrels. This creates a combination of gentle malt sweetness, honey, vanilla and ripe fruit with earthy peat smoke and spicy oak.

Although the name evokes the rugged Connemara landscape in western Ireland, the whiskey is produced at Cooley Distillery in County Louth. Alongside the classic Peated Single Malt, the range has included older, cask-strength and limited bottlings. Connemara therefore became the best-known representative of peated Irish single malt whiskey.