When the doors of the Kilbeggan Distillery were shut in 1953, the people of Kilbeggan could've easily accepted defeat. When it was first launched in 1999, it was the first smoky Irish whiskey to be produced for generations. I found it differing quite a bit from my original notes, but decided to leave both notes mixed in together.

It's said that when the Cooley Distillery started up in the late 1980s, it had no plans to make a smoky whiskey, but at some stage peaty malt was bought and run through the stills with fantastic results. Still, this Connemara expression out of Kilbeggan Distillery, which is owned by the Cooley Distillery, bears the imprint of John Teeling before he sold Cooley to Beam Suntory in 2014. Connemara Peated Single Malt has won more Gold Medals in the last decade than any other Irish Whiskey! Now under the global ownership of The Beam Suntory group after they purchased the distillery founded in 1987 in County Louth from The Teeling family and home to the brands of Lockes, Tyrconnel single malts, Greenore Single Grain and the peated Connemara range. Once a bottle has been engraved the cut glass is then infilled with a special decorative silver paste.Unique among Irish Whiskeys, Connemara is the only Irish peated single malt whiskey in existence today.

Inspired by Ireland's ancient distilling tradtions, Connemara's smooth sweet taste and complex malt and peat flavours make it a truely unique Irish whiskey. At The Umbrella Project we’ve always championed local and independent producers, as well as the most traditional and influential products for bar and home use. My girlfriend said she could smell it across the table and found it a bit overpowering but it is indeed as intended. This Whiskey has been created to show off the traditional use of turf (peat) as a drying method in the Connemara region of Ireland.Quite well balanced, somewhat smooth but ultimately it struggles to find its place as a favourite in my collection. Inspired by the 18th-century art of drying malting barley over peat fires, Connemara possesses a distinct peaty flavour and aroma, instilling a delicate smokiness and smooth, sweet taste.

Connemara is rare amongst Irish whiskey, its hook being the smokiness associated with the malts produced by our neighbours Scotland. If you do require precise ingredient information you should consult the manufacturer, whose contact details will appear on the packaging or label.They would never let it's smokestack be reduced to a monument, no matter what the world threw at them. Vibrant aromas of creme brulee, singed flowers, dense spices, and Provence herb soap follow through on a round, supple entry to dryish medium-full body with layers of praline, vanilla bean, and exotic peppercorns. Undiluted with no chill filtration or colouring, it reflects the wild rugged nature of the famous Connemara region in the West of Ireland.