McConnell’s Irish Whiskey Tasting Notes

	McConnell’s Irish Whiskey
	Belfast Distillery
	Blended Irish Whiskey
	42%

 

Tasting note compiled by Mark McLaughlin (@mark_rye)

 

Introduction

A recreation of a long forgotten Irish Whiskey brand, J&J McConnell’s was established in Belfast in 1776 during the foundations of Irish Whiskey as we know it, later building a distillery to keep up with demand. Although like many more, they disappeared for over a century.

Now re-introduced as an independently bottled blended Irish Whisky made up of malt and grain components matured for a minimum of 5 years in ex-bourbon casks. There’s no doubt that the packaging of this one is superb, it looks and feels premium, let’s see if the whisky matches up.

A special mention to McConnell’s Brand Ambassador, Sarah Kennedy, who has been representing the brand in Belfast and across Ireland since their relaunch, she’s an incredible talent and her enthusiasm for Irish Whiskey is right at the top. I’m unsure if she’s going to be doing any Global work, but count yourself lucky if she is.

Color

Golden

 

Nose (Aromas)

Soft and sweet, touches of vanilla, lemon drops, almond oil, other nuts, a little dashing of spice, light coconut and sweet grain whiskey notes.

 

Palate & Finish 

Soft and fruity, while not quite able to put my fingers on the fruits, it is enveloped by vanilla, toffee and wafer spice. There’s a nice light pepperiness to it that sits back with a touch of cedar smoke, toasted oak and sweet, sweet grain.

 

Verdict

It tastes like a grain forward blend with all the typical notes of bourbon casks which you expect, it’s relatively well balanced while not bursting with flavour at any stage. A nice, easy going blended Irish Whiskey. It’s what you expect from an entry level blend, it’s unchallenging yet versatile. Worth a try.

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