Cooley 1999 - 2012 Handwritten Label

Nose

Fresh and fruity aromas of green apple, pear, and light citrus, complemented by hints of honey, vanilla, and a touch of spice. A subtle note of oak and white pepper adds extra depth.

Taste

Lively and elegant, with a beautiful balance between fruity sweetness and spicy warmth. Notes of ripe peach, citrus zest, and honey blend seamlessly with subtle hints of ginger, white pepper, and a light nuttiness.

Finish

Long and refined, with lingering fruity tones, soft spices, and a delicate touch of oak. A light minerality and a hint of maltiness create a layered and pleasant conclusion.

An elegant and complex Irish single malt that perfectly showcases Cooley’s signature freshness and refinement.

Cooley Distillery was founded by John Teeling on the Cooley Peninsula in County Louth in 1987. He converted a former state-owned industrial alcohol plant into a whiskey distillery. In doing so, Cooley challenged the position of the two major producers that dominated the Irish whiskey industry at the time and gave important momentum to its later revival.

Cooley combines continuous column stills for grain whiskey with copper pot stills for malt whiskey. Unlike many other Irish producers, its malt spirit is generally double distilled. The distillery produces both unpeated and peated spirit, allowing it to create a wide variety of styles for single malt, single grain and blended Irish whiskey.

Cooley revived historic names including The Tyrconnell and Kilbeggan, and became particularly well known for Connemara, a rare modern peated Irish single malt. In 2012, the distillery became part of Beam, later Suntory Global Spirits. Its versatile production means there is no single house style, although fruity malt, smooth grain and distinctive peat smoke are among Cooley’s recognisable characteristics.

Thosop was a Belgian independent bottler founded in 2007 by whisky enthusiast and collector Luc Timmermans. The name appeared both as Thosop and Thosop Import. Drawing on his extensive knowledge of Scotch whisky and his particular passion for Glenfarclas, Timmermans selected casks that he believed had sufficient character and quality to be released in their own right.

Thosop became best known for its Handwritten Label series. The simple, individually written labels formed a striking contrast with the often rare and highly regarded whisky inside the bottle. The range included single casks from distilleries such as Port Ellen, Clynelish, Littlemill, Longmorn, Tomintoul and Glenfarclas. Many releases were bottled at cask strength, without added colouring and without chill filtration.

From 2011, the range was continued by Dominiek Bouckaert, known for The Whiskyman, while Luc Timmermans remained involved in selecting distinctive casks. Thosop ceased operating around 2014, but its small outturns and carefully chosen whiskies have given the bottler an almost cult-like reputation among collectors.