Weekend Briefs Mar. 2023: Tyrconnell Tetralogy
Welcome to a quick round-up of recent reviews focusing on Tyrconnell!
Tyrconnell is an Irish whisky label operating in various segments of the whisky market, from mass-market malts to more limited special releases. Beam-Suntory owns the brand and utilizes the Cooley distillery to supply the whisky. The Cooley distillery is one of my favorites in Ireland, with its focus on single malts, a style that suits my taste a bit better than the single Irish pot still whisky produced at Midleton, among others.
By the time Suntory, one of the predecessors to Beam-Suntory, took control of Cooley in 2011, the modern incarnation of the distillery had only been in operation for about two decades. The distillery was the dream of John Teeling, certainly a key figure in the Irish whisky renaissance whose sons have continued the family's legacy with their Teeling label whiskies and Teeling distillery.
With the explanatory material out of the way, on to the whisky!
Whisky Details: Tyrconnell Single Malt, Bourbon Casks 43%
Nose: Mild vanilla, oak, almond cookies, summertime grassy sweetness, hints of mint and wildflower, toasted bourbon wood, mild spirited prickle.
Palate: Medium to light-bodied, orange blossom and vanilla, marzipan, grassy sweetness, diluted honey, bourbon pound cake, slight peppery prickle at the end.
Finish: Medium-length with vanilla, marzipan, and oak.
Score: 5
Narrative & Notes: Gentle and approachable, I was impressed by the entry-level malt under the Tyrconnell label. The flavors were not terribly deep, but the mouthfeel was buttery and relatively substantial, perhaps partly due to the decision to bottle this product at 43%. While the aroma showed a bit of spirited prickle, the palate was well-balanced, with only a slight peppery spirit at the end. I did not try adding any water, but I suspect a few drops or perhaps a few ice cubes would cool down even that bit of heat and elevate some of the sweeter fruits and latent citrus.
My expectations for this malt were relatively low; typically, bottles at this price range and market position tend to be designed for cocktails and match up well with the buzz and noise of a bar better than they do a quiet evening at home or spent with just a few friends. Yet, I thought this was well-balanced, friendly, and enjoyable to sip on. The flavors were not profoundly deep, but they were distinct enough that the malt stood well by for sipping on straight up and ideally suited for a light summer cocktail.
Whisky Details: Tyrconnell 10-Year Port Cask Finish, American Oak/Port Cask 46%
Nose: Lemon drops and Tootsie rolls, sugary citrus and chocolaty candies, pink peppercorns, mellow dried dates, subtle citrus rind and polished oak.
Palate: Medium-bodied, fruity and slightly musty with a peppery spice, dried dates and chocolate truffles, salted caramel, subtle cherry and orange zest, lemon gummies, musty oak and brown sugar toward the end with a tingling pink peppercorn spice.
Finish: Medium-length with fruity pink peppercorn spice and brown sugar.
Score: 5
Narrative & Notes: Another pleasant malt under the Tyconnell label from Cooley Distillery in Ireland. The cask finish played a prominent role with its fruity and occasionally chocolatey notes. I thought this made for a fun comparison with the no-age statement core release, as that was generally more malt driven and helped provide a clear window into the role of the cask on this malt. The flavors were generally well-balanced, and the mouthfeel had an enjoyable weight and presence across the palate.
I found this to be a clear step up from the standard Tyrconnell, with more intense flavors and a noticeably longer finish. Yet, the flavors were not necessarily much deeper, and at twice the price, I am less sure this represents a good value— at least in the United States, where prices ranged from $80-100. In Europe, Tyrconnell bottles list for about half of what they do in the US, which makes them a comparative bargain and a much better value proposition.
Whisky Details: Tyconnell 16-Year, 46%
Nose: Toasted cereal grains, subtle citrus zest, marzipan, roasted macadamia nuts, oak and sawdust, dried grass and heather with subtle earth and minerals, dried out scrub bush.
Palate: Medium-bodied, oily balanced smoothness, cereal grains, marzipan with subtle vanilla and lemon zest, oatmeal cookie dough, heather and almost beach-like florals with morning glories, oak and walnut, earth and dried grass with cracked pepper at the end.
Finish: Medium-length citrus rind, earth, oak, and dried grass.
Score: 5-6
Narrative & Notes: Not bad, but I am a bit miffed seeing this bottle listed online for $100+. It was enjoyable and reprised many of the same notes as the standard Tyrconnell non-age statement bottle, but with a greater richness to the flavors, weight to the mouthfeel, and length to the finish. It still had many of the marzipan and grassy notes as the other bottles, and the same peppery quality came out at the end, though far less spirited in nature. I was surprised how much more cereal forward this whisky was; there was a roasted barley note— akin to boricha, especially on the finish— that ran throughout and that I had not picked up on the others.
I thought this bottle had an almost buttery smoothness at times. However, it was not necessarily much more complex than the other cheaper Tyrconnell bottles that I tried, so I did not find that the extra spend was worth it in my book.
Whisky Details: Tyrconnell 15-Year Madeira Finish, 46%
Nose: Rich stewed figs and ground date paste with subtle leather, black tea, and tobacco, toasted meringue with hints of citrus and caramelized sugars, low-level nuttiness that verged on a peanut-based satay sauce.
Palate: Medium-bodied with the richness of dried fruits and a subtle spice, dried dates and apricots in a dense fruit cake sweetened with molasses and brown sugar, subtle nuttiness with roasted almonds and occasionally that intriguing satay note, black tea and tobacco toward the end with cracked black pepper and a spirited tickle.
Finish: Medium-length with dried fruits, nuts, and dense cake.
Score: 6
Narrative & Notes: Richer and more complex than the other Tyrconnell I tried as part of this mini-series, I enjoyed how the Madeira cask layered on dried fruits, brown sugar, and a subtle nuttiness to the mellow citrus, pastries, and grassy-herbal elements that were already present. I was surprised, though, with how readily the Cooley malt seemed to disappear under the cask on this bottle and the 10-Year port cask finished bottle. I have often considered Cooley a thick and robust malt, yet it readily faded into the background, or at least the co-pilot role, when dealt a wine cask finish.
I found this to be the most well-balanced and complex of this Tyrconnell tetralogy. However, it originally retailed for $100 in 2018, which leaves me late to the party and makes this malt a touch more expensive. I am sure fans of Irish Whisky and Cooley distillery specifically are more than willing to take the plunge, but I am far more reticent at that price point due to the sheer amount of high-quality competition.
