Cooley

Translation: - (proper name)
Region: Ireland, County Louth

He probably just could not stand it anymore, John Teeling.

Ireland claims to be the motherland of whiskey. St. Columban is said to have established the art of burning here many centuries ago. And no doubt, whiskey played and plays a major role in the history of Ireland, in its songs, poetry and legends.
In fact, in 1987, there were only two producing Whiskey distilleries in Ireland: Bushmills (in the North) and Midleton (in the South County Cork). And both belonged to a French owner: Pernod Ricard. However, the proud history of Irish whiskey could not end this way, said the Irishman John Teeling - and founded the Cooley Distillery. An Irish success story.

A little history

In 1987, John Teeling bought a former state distillery in Dundalk on the east coast of Ireland. Within two years, it created the new Cooley Distillery (named after the peninsula it is located on), where both Grain- and Malt Whiskey can be produced. On Easter Sunday 1989 the first spirit ran into the barrels here.
Back in 1988, John Teeling's college buddy Willie McCarter joined the company, bringing with him the old Andrew A. Watt Distillery and the "Tyrconnell" brand rights. Cooley also acquired the decommissioned Locke's Kilbeggan Distillery and the rights to the John Locke's brand. The old distillery in Kilbeggan was used for a long time to store the Cooley whiskeys. Since 2007, here again produced.
In 1996, the very successful peat-flavored Connemara Single Malt came on the market. In 1998, Cooley received the International Wine and Spirit Competition (IWSC) trophy for outstanding service to Irish whiskey. In December 2011, Cooley Distillery plc went to Jim Beam. In 2014, Beam Inc. was acquired by the Japanese beverage giant Suntory and has since been trading under Beam Suntory.

What are they doing?

From Cooley comes a whole series of different whiskeys: The Malts Connemara, Tyrconnell and Locke's. The Greenore Single Grain. And the blends Kilbeggan, Millar's, Dundalgan and Locke's Premium Blend.

3 reasons to love Cooley

1) Because here began a new era of Irish malt whiskey.
2) Because Connemara tastes so interesting Irish-Scottish.
3) Because Locke's, Grennore and many other whiskey beads would not exist without Cooley.

The one drama for the lonely island

Although it is a bit strange to recommend a whiskey for an Irish distillery, which is unusually "un-Irish", but: The Connemara is a particularly rewarding discovery. An Irish whiskey that is spewed and only distilled twice - like the Scottish cousins. The typical Irish fruitiness and sweetness are combined with the smoky, powerful notes of Scottish malts. Exciting.

numbers and facts

Address: Riverstown, Cooley, County Louth
Founded: 1987 by John Teeling
Status: active
Owner: Beam Suntory
Capacity: approx. 3,300,000 liters
1 wash still (16,000 l)
1 Spirit still (16,000 l)
2 column stills
Water: Slievenaglough Springs
Visitor Center: yes, in Kilbeggan
Telephone: +353 (0) 42 9376102
Website: www.cooleywhiskey.com