Tyrconnell Single Malt Aged 16 Years

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.