Tyrconnell 16 Year Old Irish Single Malt Whiskey Review

By Andrew Graham

Grade: A-

Back in March, my wife and I had the pleasure of attending an Irish whiskey tasting at the Irish Consulate in New York City. I enjoyed casually strolling into the lobby of a giant filing cabinet for bankers and lawyers on Park Avenue in Manhattan as the 9-to-5ers fled their offices to either hit up happy hour or catch the Metro North. “Can I help you, sir?” the man at reception probably said.

“You sure can. I’m here to drink some whiskey.”

I also thoroughly enjoyed the whiskey lineup. I can’t say that I’d ever purposefully drank multiple Irish whiskeys back to back (to back to back to back, in this case), and this particular tasting solidified my belief that Irish whiskey deserves more respect in the United States. To me, Irish whiskey appeals to the sweet tooth of Americans, but is more approachable than many bourbons. Premium Irish whiskeys also tend to be more economical than premium Japanese whiskies and premium Scotch. We should be all over that stuff, and not in the way that a group of bros is all over a Jamo shot special. And, increasingly, we are.

While Tyrconnell didn’t participate in this particular tasting, I was excited to receive a sampling of its newest 16 year old single malt because of my new opinion of Irish spirits. It didn’t hurt that this one has some unique characteristics.

Tyrconnell is made at the Cooley Distillery in County Louth, in recent years part of the Beam Suntory portfolio. Cooley is best known for being the distillery in Ireland that double, rather than triple distills its malt whiskey. This year saw a new spin on the existing 16 year old expression, although like its predecessor is 46% ABV and made using only Irish barley, yeast, and water, was aged for 16 years in American White Oak ex-bourbon barrels. The new part is an additional maturation in wine casks from the Andalucia region of Southern Spain. Those casks were initially seasoned with Oloroso sherry before a second seasoning with Moscatel wine, and it’s that second seasoning that seems to do the heavy lifting for this expression. I’m not going to fact check this, but it’s probably safe to assume it is the only whiskey on the market at this age statement that uses this particular finishing recipe.

I can report that Tyrconnell nailed it with this one.

The Whiskey

Color: Amber

Nose: I got hay and straw on the nose, along with prominent notes of ripe, green apples. I also got aromas of warm beach air and saltwater.

Flavor: I look at the contrast in flavor between this Tyrconnell expression and other up-market Irish whiskeys like this: I didn’t drink the Tyrconnell 16 single malt and immediately think, “Wow, this is smooth and very easy to drink,” which is my typical reaction to other Irish whiskeys I like.

In fact, this Tyrconnell expression is not smooth, and is not particularly easy to drink. It’s a puppy that won’t stop barking. Neither tame nor easy. For an Irish whiskey, it is rudely and intrusively exceptional, both in its flavor and in its finish.

I tasted jasmine, lavender, and nectar, with white wine, peach, and lemon zest. The flavor profile is, to me, very floral, with an oily quality to the whiskey. It reminds me of Ardbeg in that it aggressively coats the mouth, only instead of peat and smoke, the Tyrconnell leaves sticky lemon and honeysuckle flavors.

Finish: As noted, the finish is long and floral, with oak and dry, white wine from the inclusion of Moscatel in the finishing casks’ treatment.

The Price
The Tyrconnell 16 year old single malt retails for around $100.