Hey Erik, just want to say I appreciate these videos for these less expensive, accessible whiskies, even at 40%ABV. They deserve reviews and they can be good too. Take care. -Alex
I stumbled upon this a few years back and loved it. I'm a fan of the real peaty stuff, and this is not that, but has its own wonderful charm. I prefer to describe it as lightly smokey with a wonderful soft elegance. I could nose it all day long, but find it a little wanting on the palate, due to the 40% ABV. Up until a couple of years ago they offered a cask strength version bottled at ~60%. It was really terrific with a taste to match the nose. But alas, it is no longer available. I keep this version around and occasionally enjoy it for what it is. Lovely stuff!
Great review! Pretty unique bottle. I’m getting Highland peat with nice sweet citrus notes. The closest flavor profile I get is not from another single malt but actually Mezcal! I get the same smokey, lemon, lime, and cooked fruit notes. Pretty neat.
Erik: Very nice, review. I enjoyed a bottle of this a few years ago but similar to your experience in the Nose, my total experience was similar to Bowmore 12 and Bowmore 12 is surprisingly cheaper than Connemara here in NYC. As an aside Galway is pronounced (Gaul way) It is an English name which bares little resemblance to the original Irish name of the town. Gaillimh=GuyLiv Enjoy What you are doing for Irish Whiskey Mike
One of my fave Irish, I love peat also. It’s a great lightly peated whiskey, I need to get the 12 and CS. Thanks for highlighting other peated Irish, I just need a way to get them to Hawaii 😫. Could you do a head to head 12 year Irish comparison; Red Breast, Yellow Spot and Powers Johns Lane? Awesome series. 🥃
I have the Red Breast and Yellow Spot and the Powers 12, but it is a heavily sherried cask. I do plan to do some head to head Irish videos, so perhaps a Red Breast vs. Green Spot.
Thanks for the information, I may not look past the Irish stuff now, and try to find some of these peated things. It could be a change of pace, when feeling a bit like having something milder...not that, that happens very often.👍
Just picked up a bottle for 22€... It will probably become my daily drinker, a little more abv would be good, but at this price I can't complain. All Islay just bumped up 5€... It's becoming quite expensive have a bloody peated dram.
I’ve looked at this in my local liquor store and I’ve wondered if it’s worth it at $55 CND. After exchange it’s about $41 USD which isn’t bad. The only thing that threw me off was the abv which made me wonder if it would be lacking on the pallet. I trust your judgment as our tastes in whiskey seem to line up. I bought a bottle of Bunnahabhain 12 on your recommendation and although I wasn’t wowed at with the initial first couple of ounces I was very pleasantly surprised after I got to the shoulder and past. I’ll likely pick a bottle up sometime this fall. Looking forward to the Connemara and the upcoming comparison review and the other expressions to.
You can get Connemara Cask Strengths - but they can be pricey and production is limited. Celtic Whiskey Shop has an online store where you find all the stuff that is open to the Irish market, that often isn’t available elsewhere. (The pricing isn’t always amazing though, often 10 euro more than in most competitors in Ireland, but their range is huge and they ship abroad)
My friend got a bottle about 10 years ago and we hated it. Tasted like new vinyl shower curtain. He got another bottle last year to revisit and we thought it was pretty good now, very scotch like. Not sure if we had a bad bottle or their process has changed
Just tried this last week. Peat intensity paled compared to Ardbeg 10 in my opinion. Also, the peat character did not strike me as Islay. More like Highland peat. For me, this does not work as a substitute for Ardbeg or Laphroaig. Also, the low ABV just leaves you wanting.
Great review! I know you said you like to use wine-searcher, did you upgrade to the pro version and if you did, does it make a big difference? I really wanted to get something highly allocated and can't find it. Thanks!
Ireland has been going through major changes over the past couple years. I'm SO focused on studying for exams in Scotland that I've not touched an Irish whiskey or bourbon in a long time. I've been to Scotland 3 times and I'm about to return for my 4th trip. I may go to Ireland next year.
@@ErikWaitWhiskyStudies I see :) I haven't tried Original, unlike 12Y, so I would assume you're tasting much peatier whiskies, as 12Y was more of iodine apples, still not bad.
There’s actually a few peated Irish whiskies back on the market - Dunville’s Peated; Selkie Peated; think West Cork have a peated whiskey...plus if you have 45,000 euro knocking around you can buy a 1974 Midleton Pot Still Peated Whiskey (the only peated pot still whiskey I’ve come across, Midleton stopped producing peated whiskies in the 1970’s - imagine a peated Redbreast!) Peating, like everything else whiskey bar blends (that’s the only Scottish “thing”) was originally an Irish “thing”. But with the collapse of the industry in the early 20th century (we all know the story at this stage) peated whiskies, pot still whiskies, the whole range of the whiskey world that was all Irish, fell out of production, with the decimated industry turning to the cheap, bland blends in the 1960’s that characterized Irish whiskey until the regeneration of the last 10 years.
In Europe the Connemara is a very affordable whisky, roughly half the price of the Ardbeg 10/Wee Beasty currently. I love the Connemara, but it doesn’t linger as much on the tastebuds as anything from Islay.
I bought this last week to try with a friend. Yes it’s lightly peated but has very nice character, it’s smooth and sweet. Very nice for a price. Great for easy sipping even at summer, and for such nice price (21-25 euros) I can’t complain! It’s NOT peat monster. But has some.
@@ZhuJo99 Same here, It's less than half the price of PC10, my favouite Islay... This will probably become my daily drinker, saving the good but expensive Islays for a time to time dram. They all just bumped up 5€ damn! Ardbeg, Kilchoman, Port Charlotte...
Come on, you've got to at LEAST give it 86.5 points! You and I might be tasting different whiskies as I have heard from others that there can be some bottle variation with some being better than others. If I was rating this whiskey based on the mini bottle I originally tasted I would agree with you.
Solid review. Dunville's Three Crowns is another ex-peated Cask Irish whiskey. Teeling has a peated whiskey coming to market soon, The Blackpitts. I think that the 12 and the Turf Mor have been my favourites to date. There was an interesting article that I read in the Financial Times about the closure of Ireland's peat bogs www.ft.com/content/7b46d01a-ada6-11e9-8030-530adfa879c2.
The peat bogs in Irelands midlands have been largely stripped for burning for power generation for decades. As burning peat emits more carbon than coal there's a big government/EU push to completely ban the harvesting and burning of peat from 2027. Also, the claim is that our bogs are endangered and are needed for the purpose of being natural and effective 'carbon sinks' to combat climate change and also to encourage bio diversity and increase wildlife habitat of species which are on the verge of extinction due to loss of habitat. Its meeting with strong opposition from people whose livelihoods and home heating capability derive from peat/ turf.
There is plenty of Irish peat. Its available to buy in almost every newsagent (corner store if from the US), petrol station and super market. No excuse for not using Irish peat other then its easier to buy from Scotland.
Yeah loads of peat available. Just not economical for the Irish Maltsters to produce it as the demand wasn't there. And distilleries don't usually malt their own barley.
Actually, the West Cork Peated Charred Cask is available at a TW&M store in Las Vegas Nevada but they won't ship to California. Also, I have been informed that there is a Sliabh Liag distributor in California.
@@ErikWaitWhiskyStudies Darn ! There's always one ! All I can say is that you can't get any of them in RI. Totalwine have the West Cork at $41 so maybe next time I'm in Boston.
Not a great expression of peat a peat whiskey & not a great expression of Irish whiskey either, the peat is almost clean tasting vs the earthy of Lagavulin, the smokiness of Ardbeg or the medicinal, dirty peat of Laphroaig. Ended up mixing mine with another whisky I wasn’t enjoying to give it a who,e different palate feel.
Hey Erik, just want to say I appreciate these videos for these less expensive, accessible whiskies, even at 40%ABV. They deserve reviews and they can be good too. Take care.
-Alex
Great review. New subscriber and really appreciate your style. Just bought a bottle and looking forward to trying it.
Hope you enjoy it!
I stumbled upon this a few years back and loved it. I'm a fan of the real peaty stuff, and this is not that, but has its own wonderful charm. I prefer to describe it as lightly smokey with a wonderful soft elegance. I could nose it all day long, but find it a little wanting on the palate, due to the 40% ABV. Up until a couple of years ago they offered a cask strength version bottled at ~60%. It was really terrific with a taste to match the nose. But alas, it is no longer available. I keep this version around and occasionally enjoy it for what it is. Lovely stuff!
Got this today for a great price. €24,95 = $27,95. Looking forward to it.
Great review! Pretty unique bottle. I’m getting Highland peat with nice sweet citrus notes. The closest flavor profile I get is not from another single malt but actually Mezcal! I get the same smokey, lemon, lime, and cooked fruit notes. Pretty neat.
I didn't rate this whiskey when I first tried it but after a while I came back to it and think it's brilliant
I’ve had a bottle for a few months and have had just few drams that left me a bit “meh.” You’ve given me some new perspective for my next try. Thanks!
Great to hear!
This is the next Whiskey I was going to try!
Erik:
Very nice, review. I enjoyed a bottle of this a few years ago but similar to your experience in the Nose, my total experience was similar to Bowmore 12 and Bowmore 12 is surprisingly cheaper than Connemara here in NYC. As an aside Galway is pronounced (Gaul way) It is an English name which bares little resemblance to the original Irish name of the town.
Gaillimh=GuyLiv
Enjoy What you are doing for Irish Whiskey
Mike
One of my fave Irish, I love peat also. It’s a great lightly peated whiskey, I need to get the 12 and CS. Thanks for highlighting other peated Irish, I just need a way to get them to Hawaii 😫. Could you do a head to head 12 year Irish comparison; Red Breast, Yellow Spot and Powers Johns Lane? Awesome series. 🥃
Have someone from the states ship it to you.
I have the Red Breast and Yellow Spot and the Powers 12, but it is a heavily sherried cask. I do plan to do some head to head Irish videos, so perhaps a Red Breast vs. Green Spot.
Thanks for the information, I may not look past the Irish stuff now, and try to find some of these peated things. It could be a change of pace, when feeling a bit like having something milder...not that, that happens very often.👍
I would love to see you review the West Cork Bog Oak Single Malt.
I'll keep my eyes open for it!
Just picked up a bottle for 22€... It will probably become my daily drinker, a little more abv would be good, but at this price I can't complain. All Islay just bumped up 5€... It's becoming quite expensive have a bloody peated dram.
In my opinion it is the best Irish whisky.
I was just wondering to buy a bottle of Connemara as a gift. Very curious avout your review!
I’ve looked at this in my local liquor store and I’ve wondered if it’s worth it at $55 CND. After exchange it’s about $41 USD which isn’t bad. The only thing that threw me off was the abv which made me wonder if it would be lacking on the pallet. I trust your judgment as our tastes in whiskey seem to line up. I bought a bottle of Bunnahabhain 12 on your recommendation and although I wasn’t wowed at with the initial first couple of ounces I was very pleasantly surprised after I got to the shoulder and past.
I’ll likely pick a bottle up sometime this fall. Looking forward to the Connemara and the upcoming comparison review and the other expressions to.
You can get Connemara Cask Strengths - but they can be pricey and production is limited. Celtic Whiskey Shop has an online store where you find all the stuff that is open to the Irish market, that often isn’t available elsewhere. (The pricing isn’t always amazing though, often 10 euro more than in most competitors in Ireland, but their range is huge and they ship abroad)
Yeah sounds delicious
It was!
My friend got a bottle about 10 years ago and we hated it. Tasted like new vinyl shower curtain. He got another bottle last year to revisit and we thought it was pretty good now, very scotch like. Not sure if we had a bad bottle or their process has changed
Just tried this last week. Peat intensity paled compared to Ardbeg 10 in my opinion. Also, the peat character did not strike me as Islay. More like Highland peat. For me, this does not work as a substitute for Ardbeg or Laphroaig. Also, the low ABV just leaves you wanting.
Great review!
I know you said you like to use wine-searcher, did you upgrade to the pro version and if you did, does it make a big difference? I really wanted to get something highly allocated and can't find it. Thanks!
Nope, I'm not paying money to use a search engine.
Hey Erik, Great information. When is the head to head with Ardbeg going to air.
This coming weekend October 3 - 4, 2020
Amazing that Irish went to only a few peated to over 65 peated and probably a lot more than that
Ireland has been going through major changes over the past couple years. I'm SO focused on studying for exams in Scotland that I've not touched an Irish whiskey or bourbon in a long time. I've been to Scotland 3 times and I'm about to return for my 4th trip. I may go to Ireland next year.
Have you compared this to 12Y?
If I could find a 12 I would.
@@ErikWaitWhiskyStudies I see :) I haven't tried Original, unlike 12Y, so I would assume you're tasting much peatier whiskies, as 12Y was more of iodine apples, still not bad.
There’s actually a few peated Irish whiskies back on the market - Dunville’s Peated; Selkie Peated; think West Cork have a peated whiskey...plus if you have 45,000 euro knocking around you can buy a 1974 Midleton Pot Still Peated Whiskey (the only peated pot still whiskey I’ve come across, Midleton stopped producing peated whiskies in the 1970’s - imagine a peated Redbreast!)
Peating, like everything else whiskey bar blends (that’s the only Scottish “thing”) was originally an Irish “thing”. But with the collapse of the industry in the early 20th century (we all know the story at this stage) peated whiskies, pot still whiskies, the whole range of the whiskey world that was all Irish, fell out of production, with the decimated industry turning to the cheap, bland blends in the 1960’s that characterized Irish whiskey until the regeneration of the last 10 years.
In Europe the Connemara is a very affordable whisky, roughly half the price of the Ardbeg 10/Wee Beasty currently. I love the Connemara, but it doesn’t linger as much on the tastebuds as anything from Islay.
I bought this last week to try with a friend. Yes it’s lightly peated but has very nice character, it’s smooth and sweet. Very nice for a price. Great for easy sipping even at summer, and for such nice price (21-25 euros) I can’t complain! It’s NOT peat monster. But has some.
@@ZhuJo99 Same here, It's less than half the price of PC10, my favouite Islay...
This will probably become my daily drinker, saving the good but expensive Islays for a time to time dram.
They all just bumped up 5€ damn! Ardbeg, Kilchoman, Port Charlotte...
Teeling Blackpitts… you probably know about this, but just in case!
I already reviewed Teeling Black Pitts check it out here: ruclips.net/video/XMQaXx0KnhA/видео.html
90 points ?!?!? - no way - maybe the 12 year old Connemara but not this - it is only 86 max in my opinion
Come on, you've got to at LEAST give it 86.5 points! You and I might be tasting different whiskies as I have heard from others that there can be some bottle variation with some being better than others. If I was rating this whiskey based on the mini bottle I originally tasted I would agree with you.
1:00
Solid review. Dunville's Three Crowns is another ex-peated Cask Irish whiskey. Teeling has a peated whiskey coming to market soon, The Blackpitts. I think that the 12 and the Turf Mor have been my favourites to date. There was an interesting article that I read in the Financial Times about the closure of Ireland's peat bogs www.ft.com/content/7b46d01a-ada6-11e9-8030-530adfa879c2.
The peat bogs in Irelands midlands have been largely stripped for burning for power generation for decades. As burning peat emits more carbon than coal there's a big government/EU push to completely ban the harvesting and burning of peat from 2027. Also, the claim is that our bogs are endangered and are needed for the purpose of being natural and effective 'carbon sinks' to combat climate change and also to encourage bio diversity and increase wildlife habitat of species which are on the verge of extinction due to loss of habitat. Its meeting with strong opposition from people whose livelihoods and home heating capability derive from peat/ turf.
Thanks for the information.
There is plenty of Irish peat. Its available to buy in almost every newsagent (corner store if from the US), petrol station and super market. No excuse for not using Irish peat other then its easier to buy from Scotland.
Yeah loads of peat available. Just not economical for the Irish Maltsters to produce it as the demand wasn't there. And distilleries don't usually malt their own barley.
Don't waste too much time looking for those other peated whiskies outside Ireland. All hover between very hard to find and nowhere.
Actually, the West Cork Peated Charred Cask is available at a TW&M store in Las Vegas Nevada but they won't ship to California. Also, I have been informed that there is a Sliabh Liag distributor in California.
@@ErikWaitWhiskyStudies Darn ! There's always one ! All I can say is that you can't get any of them in RI. Totalwine have the West Cork at $41 so maybe next time I'm in Boston.
Not a great expression of peat a peat whiskey & not a great expression of Irish whiskey either, the peat is almost clean tasting vs the earthy of Lagavulin, the smokiness of Ardbeg or the medicinal, dirty peat of Laphroaig. Ended up mixing mine with another whisky I wasn’t enjoying to give it a who,e different palate feel.