Kilbeggan Small Batch Rye

For the price, ~$33, this is pretty good. Pretty complex and very different for and Irish. The rye adds a nice edge. Lots of pear on the nose and palate. Coconut and pineapple on the palate. A little toffee. Vanilla. Slight black pepper on the finish. Would buy again.

After a few years of serious whiskey exploration, it can feel as though you’ve run out of unique experiences. This is highly untrue, but it can feel this way, nevertheless. Enter this, an Irish rye. It’s a first, and to my knowledge, the first rye I’ve had from outside North America. It seems to have a mash of rye, malted barley, and unmalted barley, which is also a first. Let’s see if the quality matches the uniqueness. Nose: Plush sweetness. Apple, pear, peach, and apricot. Dried apricot and black licorice as well. Pineapple and coconut. Almond. Toffee, vanilla, and a faint hint of shortbread cookie. Vanilla frosting and marshmallow. Floral notes. Oak. Palate: Dried apricot and golden raisin. Granny Smith apple and pear. Pineapple and a big coconut note. Vanilla, toffee, malt, and caramel. Almond, walnut, macadamia, and cashew. Oak. Finish: This remains plush through the finish. Apricot (dried and regular) and golden raisin. Apple and pear. Lime. Shortbread cookie, vanilla, toffee, and caramel. Almond, walnut, and cashew. Cinnamon, black pepper, clove, nutmeg, and oak. Moderate-long finish, leaning toward the latter. This is exceptional, especially compared to what I expected. An Irish rye has an experimental sound to it—and I believe this was the first of its kind. Cooley knocked it knocked out the park on their first try, and has set the bar ridiculously high for all those to follow. This was on sale at $27–down from $32 which is generally where I see it priced. Either way, this is a remarkable value. I score the nose, palate, and finish equally high. And the VFM adds on even greater boost. What a great idea. What a great mash. What a great value. What’s more to be said. 4.25/5–well done, Cooley.

Pear and vanilla vibes

I can’t get past the fact that the aroma and transfer to palate has a super strong note of sunscreen. The body is quite nice and I can pull other things out of it but that one note just really ruins the rest of the experience for me.

One of my go too Irish whiskeys

Love this whiskey so smooth it’s a must drink neat