Cooley Distillery
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| Founded | 1987 |
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| Headquarters | County Louth, Ireland |
| Products | Irish whiskey |
| Website | http://www.cooleywhiskey.com |
Cooley Distillery is an Irish whiskey distillery, located on the Cooley Peninsula in County Louth. It is the only independent Irish-owned distillery in Ireland [1] and was converted in 1987 from an older potato alcohol plant by John Teeling. On 16 December 2011 it was announced that US company Beam Inc. plans to purchase Cooley for around €71 million.[2]
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[edit] Current product range
- Kilbeggan — a blended whiskey, Kilbeggan was originally distilled at the Kilbeggan Distillery, which is now owned by Cooley. Best-known for its non-age stated version, in 2007, a 15-year aged version was released, and there are plans for an 18-year aged whiskey.[3]
- Greenore — a single-grain whiskey, Greenore is made with corn alone, and aged in Bourbon casks. Greenore is found with several age statements; 6-, 8-, 15-, and 18-year versions are produced, although the 15- and 18-year releases are relatively rare (5,000 and 4,000 bottles, respectively).
- Connemara — a peat-smoked single-malt whiskey, Connemara is double-distilled[4] rather than the more usual triple-distillation process that most Irish whiskeys undergo. It is aged in Bourbon casks. Several versions are found; single-cask, cask-strength, 12-year, and a high-peat version called "Turf Mór."
- The Tyrconnell — a single-malt whiskey, The Tyrconnell was acquired as a brand by Cooley in 1988 after being dormant since 1925, when the Old Watts Distillery (producers of The Tyrconnell) closed its doors.[5]
Cooley has also released a poitín, available at a single store in Dublin and the Dublin airport, with the intention of expanding production to release it in other markets such as the US.[6]
[edit] Distillation process
The distillery features both column stills and pot stills for distillation. Unlike most other Irish whiskeys, which are usually distilled three times, Cooley's products are generally distilled twice, as the third distillation is thought to remove some of the flavor components.
[edit] Critical acclaim
Cooley has won over 300 medals since opening. Other awards they have received include "European Distiller of the Year" in 2008 and 2009 and "Distillery of the Year" in 2008 from the International Wine and Spirit Competition and "Distillery of the Year" in 2010 from Malt Advocate magazine.[7]
Individual item awards for Cooley's products include an IWSC "Best in Class" for Kilbeggan in 2005,[8] an IWSC Gold Medal for The Tyrconnell in 2004[9] IWSC Gold Medal and Best in Class in 2010 for Greenore, and a World Whiskeys Awards Best in Class in 2010 for Greenore.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ "Cooley Distillery". http://www.proof66.com/distillery.php?id=64. Retrieved 30 May 2011.
- ^ "Cooley Distillery sold in €71m deal". http://www.rte.ie/news/2011/1216/cooley-business.html. Retrieved 16 December 2011.
- ^ "Kilbeggan Whiskey Official Site". http://kilbegganwhiskey.com/whiskey/family.aspx. Retrieved 30 May 2011.
- ^ "Connemara Whiskey Official Site". http://connemarawhiskey.com/#/the-whiskey-introduction/. Retrieved 30 May 2011.
- ^ "The Tyrconnell Heritage". http://tyrconnellwhiskey.com/_heritage/Heritage.asp. Retrieved 30 May 2011.
- ^ Raskin, Hannah (27 January 2012). "Irish Moonshine Could Be the Next Absinthe". Seattle Weekly. http://blogs.seattleweekly.com/voracious/2012/01/irish_moonshine_could_be_the_n.php. Retrieved 29 January 2012.
- ^ "Cooley Distillery Official Site". http://www.cooleywhiskey.com. Retrieved 30 May 2011.
- ^ "Kilbeggan Whiskey Awards". http://kilbegganwhiskey.com/whiskey/awards.aspx. Retrieved 30 May 2011.
- ^ "The Tyrconnell Whiskey Awards". http://tyrconnellwhiskey.com/_awards/awards.asp. Retrieved 30 May 2011.
