47% ABV, natural colour, unchill filtered, matured in ex Kentucky bourbon and Oloroso casks
When talking about the new wave of Irish distilleries, I’m willing to bet that if Connacht immediately rings a bell, you’d be pretty deep down the rabbit hole of Irish whiskey. Founded in 2015 on a renovated bakery site in Mayo (yes, pretty sure they haven’t heard that one before) in the North West of Ireland near the river Moy and close to the Atlantic (granted, pretty much everywhere you go in Ireland, is ‘close to the Atlantic’, but think ‘really close to the Atlantic’ on this one), they started production in 2016. Connacht takes its name from the Irish province with the same name which is, I am told, pronounced ‘Conn’oct’.
As you well know: starting out as a whiskey distillery takes time, effort and money. Lots of time, effort and money, in fact. So while waiting for their product to mature and to get some revenue flowing, they have also been (and still are) making gin, wodka and poitin, as well as releasing a couple of sourced whiskeys under the name of Ballyhoo (a single grain) and a 5 yo single malt called Spade & Bushel.
2021 marked a special moment in the distillery’s young history as they released their inaugural whiskey (a 5 yo cask strength – the 800 bottles were gone in a flash), making it the first whisky to be made in Mayo in over 150 years. However, a few months later, more of their own single malt was deemed ready for bottling and so their first core range whiskey was released as ‘batch 1’. Interestingly, the steering of the distillery lies in the hands of master distiller Robert Cassell, an American who earned his stripes putting Philadelphia back on the whisky map, designing his own type of pot still in the process. As founder of New Liberty Distilling Co still active in Philadelphia, he is now combining two jobs as master distiller across the pond. Cassell is aided at Connacht by Killian O’ Sullivan who takes on the role as commercial director. While being a born and bred Irishman, O’ Sullivan first built his career in Scotland and brings in quite a bit of experience working for William Grant’s with brands like Glenfiddich, Hendrick’s Gin and Monkey Shoulder. Pretty decent credentials, me thinks. So with two people in charge who know their way around a distillery, this should be a success story in the making. Let’s find out…
Nose
Apples, vanilla and citrus – very pleasant and inviting, yet uncomplicated. Unmistakably young (I wrote these notes before learning it was a 4 yo, to be as unbiased as possible). Floral-heathery and with a honey like sweetness, which goes into a sweet dessert wine and asweet breakfast cereal note. Over time it becomes even more sweet, driven by honey, honey and, uhm, honey.
Palate
Sweet arrival with notes of honey and honey liqueur. Add in some vanilla and woodspice and a slightly prickly, effervescence note. A hint of dried grass turning into a gentle earthy note and again a dessert wine sweetness. The wood note makes for an interesting bitterness to counter effect the bombardment of sweet notes. This comes alongside a nice, medium full and slightly viscous body which turns dry mid palate and what we’ve got here, ladies and gentlemen, is ticking a lot of the right boxes.
Finish
Yes, it’s rather short on the finish, but quite lovely with its warm sweetness and mild spices.
Very pleasant young whisky. Driven by all sorts of sweet notes, you might say it’s a bit of a crowd-pleaser, but that’s by no means a bad thing. As there is this pleasant woody-earthy bitterness to balance things out, this youngster has enough going on to keep even the more seasoned enthusiasts satisfied. At around €60, this is by no means a cheap whisky, but even if you were to discard this at that price (I wouldn’t and couldn’t hold it against you as it is indeed a bit salty), I encourage you to keep an eye out for Connacht, as, in my opinion, they are on to something good. 83/100
Was standing in front of closed doors at the distillery last summer 🙄