Cooley 13 Years Old Peated Cadenheads (56.7%, WM Cadenhead, Bourbon Barrel, 198 Bottles, 2011)

• Category: Irish peated single malt whiskey
• Origin: Cooley Distillery
• Bottling: Cadenhead’s
• ABV: 56.7%
• Cost: £?

What they say:

Aged 13 Years
Distilled at Cooley Distillery
Bottled: June 2011
Wood Type: Bourbon Barrel
No. of bottles: 198
70 cl. / 56.7%

Tasting Note:
Nose: A very “traditional” nose. Oatmeal, grist and cereals.
Palate: Buttery and light, a pleasant sweetness and a touch of rhubarb in the finish.

What I say:

A rather unusual dram, being not only Irish but also peated single malt. Distilled at the Cooley Distillery in EIRE and matured for 13 years in a bourbon barrel before bottling by Cadenhead’s at cask strength of 56.7%.

Colour:

Sauternes gold (6/20), medium-sized droplet tears leave medium legs

Nose:

Sweet & floral, honeysuckle, daffodil, honey, pear & apple fruits, chalky & flinty/mineralic, rhubarb crumble with vanilla custard, medicated cherry cough drops

Taste:

More rounded on the palate, apple & cinnamon pie, cherry, milky and creamy, vanilla tart, again mineralic flinty notes from the nose arise, rhubarb compote & crumble (intense then more baked/stewed and accompanied with biscuit cereals), jammy fruits

Finish:

Medium, slightly medicinal – more medicated cherry cough drops, sickly sweet & fruity pear with a peaty prickle

Overall:

What a wonderful expression. The intensity of peat in this dram added a layer of odd fruitiness which I can only describe as intense cherry and rhubarb over the traditional ex-bourbon vanilla and cereal barley. Strangely that mineralic flinty nature I identify more in Irish pot still whisky is apparent here also, but it works very well with the other flavours here.

Score: 87/100

Don’t take my word for it:

Bloggers submit a link to your review