Connemara Original Peated Single Malt

Barley and peat on the nose. The taste has a consistent and clean palate of honey and light peat smoke, with a long finish and hints of spice.

Smokey and smooth

This whiskey is very interesting as it's unlike any other Irish whiskey (due to being peated) but it's also unlike any peated Scotch. It has a nice amount of peat without being harsh and medicinal tasting, and it still has a uniquely Irish character because the peaty smoke is very nicely balanced with the sweet smoothness. There's sweet smoke on the nose, reminiscent of tobacco and dried herbs, with a bit of honey and malt. The taste is very much the same. Initially it's sweet with notes of caramel, honey and red apple, before transitioning to peaty, smoky and oaky flavours. It's also got a briny, salty character reminiscent of something like Talisker. A fantastic Irish whiskey.

Nose: Pears. Apples. A little citrus juice. Very mild sweet smoke with a fragrant herbal quality. Aromatic peat smoke, almost like pipe tobacco. Palate: Soft, a little briny sweetness. Light grassy malt, barley-sugar and cereal flavours with some fruity notes emerging in the development (sweet orchard fruits and a little citrus again). There is a floral honey flavour and the smoky facets are mild and sweet, as with the nose. The texture is full and rich with a buttery quality - in fact the palate flavours have buttery notes. Finish: Medium. The sweet side of the character lingers with a fruity finale spiced by a pinch of smoke. A pleasant, clean and well-balanced malt, easy to drink, veering towards sweetness and with just a touch of well-managed peat. I could imagine this being a favourite everyday dram. The peat is quiet and reserved, but not lacking, and it is of good quality with no objectionable notes at all. There was a time, long past, when I was a pipe smoker and one of my favourite blends was Borkum Riff Whisky mixture. This has a whiff of that tobacco, which alone is enough to make me want a bottle. The palate is tasty, mellow but still sprightly with an almost effervescent edge from the hints of citrus. I enjoyed this a lot, and to be honest I enjoyed it a good deal more than the Connemara Turf Mor expression I tasted a while back. This is not as heavily peated, and all the better for it. There is better balance here, right through. It's particularly interesting tasting this right after the two Australian Bakery Hill peated whiskies that I've just rated here, as they are crafted specifically to achieve a gentle, easy-drinking profile. I thought both were clearly superior to this whisky, with more character and complexity, but when it comes to value for money there is simply no competition. At almost literally a third the price of the Bakery Hill 46% peated whisky this standard Connemara bottling represents very good value, and is recommended. Tasted from a 30ml sample. I liked this enough to add a bottle to my next online order. "Good" : 83/100 (3.5 stars)