A rich, textured Irish Pot Still Whiskey with a palate of apple pie and lemon curd.

The Cooley Distillery is in County Louth on the east coast of Ireland at the border with Northern Ireland. It’s where they make Kilbeggan, Tryconnell, 2 Gingers, Connemara, and a few other Irish gems. Cooley has won more than three hundred awards since they consolidated operations there in 1985. Three hundred! That’s some pretty impressive Irish Whiskey work, don’t you think? They market all of their products under the master brand of Kilbeggan.

Kilbeggan Single Pot Still starts like a traditional Irish Whiskey, but with a twist. As you might expect, the mash bill contains roughly equal parts of malted and un-malted barley. But about 2.5% of the mash bill is oats to bring a smooth, creaminess to the Spirit. It has been double-distilled, aged for approximately eight years, and bottled at 43% ABV. All in all a perfectly delightful dram.

Smartass Corner:
The original Kilbeggan Distillery is now a working Whiskey museum with what is believed to be the world’s oldest still in operation. That still started operating in 1757 and there are license records to prove it.