Connemara 12 Year Peated Single Malt

A balanced, peated Single Malt Irish Whiskey by the Cooley Distillery aged for 12 years. It has a light & fresh birth with notes of lemon, oily peat, apple, D’anjou pear, a hint of custard & creamy malt; while a sweet & rustic life adds notes of earthy peat, rhubarb, custard sweets, crème brûlée, granary toast with melted honey butter, smoky driftwood on fire; that leads to a delicate death of medium length with notes of vanilla, tangy fruit, hazelnut, hints of oily smoke & nutmeg. December 2018 / January 2019 / March 2019

Nose: Underwhelming peat smoke on the first smell, followed by notes of red apple and subtle cream. Final notes of peat linger, but hints of vanilla can be smelled from beginning to end. Palate: The peat smoke is significantly more overpowering on the palate, but gives way to vanilla and bitterness from charred oak. After some time, notes of stone fruit appear, but the bitterness remains throughout the taste along with spices, mostly pepper. Finish: The smoke and oak persists through the finish, with slight bitterness of lemon rinds.

Artifical and chemical peat nose. Tasting does not improve the experience. Poor showing.