Concannon Irish Whiskey Review

By Jake Emen

Rating: C+

Concannon is an Irish whiskey of the sort you likely haven’t tried before – produced by an American vineyard, Concannon Vineyard, which is based in Livermore, California. Concannon vineyard has strong Irish ties, though, as the first successful American winery founded by an Irish immigrant, James Concannon, who came over stateside in 1865. Four generations and 150 years later, and John Concannon decided it was time to hark back to Ireland in the best possible way – with Irish whiskey, of course.

The Whiskey
Concannon, 40% abv, while produced by the vineyard, is distilled and aged in Ireland in conjunction with Cooley Distillery. It utilizes a blend of Irish malt and grain whiskeys which have been double distilled, and aged in small bourbon casks for four years.

Here comes the kicker – the whiskey is then finished for four months in Petit Syrah wine barrels sent over from Concannon Vineyards. Concannon is the second largest winery in the Livermore Valley, and they’re particularly well known for their Petit Syrah. They were actually the first winery to bottle the Petit Syrah grape as a varietal wine in 1961.

The whiskey is a golden hay color in the glass. On the nose, Concannon offers light, floral notes, and a faint honeydew sweetness with a touch of malt and vanilla. A first sip offers a dry, cereal grain and wheat flavor, accented with spice throughout. The finish offers a medium-length, dry burn, leaving you with more malt. Ice brings a chewier mouth feel and a maltier flavor profile, with a honeyed, slightly nutty finish.

Colcannon certainly has a unique flair thanks to the influence of the very nontraditional wine barrel finishing combined with what is otherwise a rather traditional Irish whiskey. In that regard, and considering the price (below), it’s worth a try.

However, it lacked a certain character or defining quality to make it more than a drinkable, decent-enough Irish dram. Beyond the light floral touch in the aroma, I’m not sure just how much the wine barrel aging offered. A more thorough aging and/or finishing process likely could have injected more robust flavor and made for a more memorable whiskey.

The Price
Concannon can be found for as little as $19 at online retailers and outlets, so it’s typically priced below other Irish offerings, such as Jameson. It’s available in a twist-off cap 750 ml similar to a wine bottle, no surprise, given its vineyard background.