[Review] The Tyrconnell Core Range

So I ended up taking a vacant spot for a tasting with some good lads from the Toronto Whisky Society and ended up at The Caledonian for their Irish Whiskey tasting! We were led by Global Irish Whiskey Ambassador from Beam Suntory John Cashman who had many fun stories to tell, especially since a good deal of my ancestral background dates back to the Emerald Isle.

He went on a long story about how the Irish invented the modern form of whisky, but not alcohol which was invented by the ancient Persians who distilled it for medicinal purposes as well as for perfumes. The Monks of Ireland had journeyed around Europe spreading the word of God and on their travels they brought back a precursor to a pot still from Southern Europe which at the time was ruled by the Moors. In the monasteries the monks were distillers for medicinal purposes but their medicine wasn’t called alcohol it was named Uisce beatha (ish-ka-ba-ha) or water of life. The same word translates to eau de vie and aqua vitae in France and Italy. Eventually social consumption began among the peoples of Ireland and in 1169 after the Norman invasion of Ireland the new conquerors found difficulties with the Irish language so they decided to call Uisce beatha a shorter word, Uisce (is-ki), which would later be replaced by whiskey. The Irish monks would also establish monasteries in Scotland and spread the distillation practices there. Irish whiskey became so popular that Queen Elizabeth I was rumored to be a lover of Irish Whiskey and it was a routine drink of the Royal Court. Why was Irish whiskey considered superior during the early years? Because the climate on the island was generally mild all year round to where this pattern of mild weather creates a softer, gentler style of whiskey that appealed to the masses. During World War I Irish Whiskey was number 1 in America, but now you can barely find more than a few brands on the shelves at your local state liquor superstore. One reason was the rise of the temperance movement in Ireland which led to the closure of 20% of Ireland's distilleries in 2 years. Soon after Coffey stills were invented to improve on pot stills, however the Irish didn’t embrace it because the spirit was too strong so the technology was sold in Scotland who embraced it for blending purposes to get closer to the Irish style. Finally, the Irish War of Independence and the Prohibition in America essentially killed off the Irish whiskey industry in the 1920s. To put it in perspective, in the 1820s there were over 200 distilleries in Ireland and by the 1970s there were only two left who controlled Irish whiskey until Cooley distillery opened in 1987. Cooley went for double distillation instead of triple distillation to get a consistent flavour. However, after buying the rights to the brand Tyrconnell they decided to produce a range of spirits with the name of an older distillery to give their whisky some heritage.

And so that's what we're trying tonight, 4 expressions from the Tyrconnell core lineup distilled by Cooley Distillery in Ireland.

Tyrconnell Single Malt Irish Whiskey

Bottled at 43% ABV and matured in ex-bourbon barrels sourced from Jim Beam. Aged from 6-10 years.

• Colour: Light gold
• Nose: Lemons, Vanilla, caramel, oak, light spice
• Taste: Light oak, apple, grass, slight lemon, allspice
• Finish: Medium with Spicy raisin

It’s pretty average for the most part. Not anything of note but decent. For $46 I’m not sure I'd get a bottle but you could still find worse at that price point.

70 pts

Tyrconnell 10 Year Old Madeira Finish

This whisky was aged for 10 years in Madeira and finished in Malmsey madeira casks for 4-6 months. It is bottled at 46% ABV and retails for $80.

• Colour: Light amber
• Nose: Allspice, cardamom, oak, Apple, light vanilla, mandarin orange, some salt
• Taste: Apple, orange, allspice, salt, meat proteins, cereal
• Finish: Short-Medium with spiced cereals

Yeah this one just has a big strong off note that hurts the rest of the whisky, almost like a burn meat protein that just doesn't work for the style of the rest of the malt. I’ll say this one is an easy pass.

66 pts

Tyrconnell 10 Year Old Sherry Finish

This single malt was finished in Oloroso casks for 18 months and bottled at 46% ABV. It retails in the LCBO north of $90.

• Colour: Amber
• Nose: Allspice, chocolate, orange, lemon, some leather, sultana
• Taste: Orange, fresh and candy plums, chocolate, sultana, allspice, cereal, nuts
• Finish: Medium with sweet plummy nuts

This one was really nice with a nice soft mouthfeel and decent complexity, but for the MSRP I’d say it’s worth a try not a buy.

79 pts

Tyrconnell 10 Year Old Port Finish

This one is finished in ruby port pipes in months. It is also bottled at 46% ABV and sells similar to the Sherry Finish.

• Colour: Light amber
• Nose: Citrus, Vanilla cream, slight oak, apple, raisin, allspice
• Taste: Apple, allspice, oak, vanilla, lemon, caramel, baked bread, light leather
• Finish: Medium with leathery fruit and spice

It’s probably my number 2 above the single malt and Madeira however a weak nose hurts this whisky as well as the lack of depth. Still a decent dram for the price.

77 pts

A big thanks to The Caledonian and Mr. Cashman for hosting this great tasting and giving a great lesson on the history of Irish whiskey!


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70-74: Average to Good

75-79: Good to Great

80-84: Great to Excellent

85-89: Excellent

90-94: Superb

95+: Masterpiece

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