The Tyrconnell 10 Year Old Sherry Cask Finish Whiskey

Nearly 800 years ago, the O'Donnell Dynasty ruled an ancient Gaelic kingdom in northwest Ireland called Tyrconnell (Tyrconnell means "The Land of O'Donnell" in ancient Gaelic). In 1876, the family of Andrew Watt entered a horse named "The Tyrconnell" in an Irish horse race known as the The National Produce Stakes. Despite the 100-to-1 odds against him, Tyrconnell won the race and the Watt family, which had been producing whiskey since 1762, celebrated by launching the Tyrconnell label.

The Tyrconnell Irish Whiskey became one of the best-selling Irish whiskies in the world and prior to Prohibition, was the best-selling Irish Whiskey in the United States. Ultimately, the drastic drop in sales the distillery experienced as a result of Prohibition caused it to close its doors in 1925. In 1987, the label was resurrected by the Cooley Distillery, which began producing The Tyrconnell Irish Whiskey once more.

The Tyrconnell Single Malt Irish Whiskey is made using the finest Irish barley, which is steeped in pure spring water and allowed to germinate. Unlike many Scottish distilleries, Cooley Distillery does not use any smoke during the malting process, resulting in a cleaner taste of the malt and barley. After the barley is malted and mashed, yeast is added to the wort in order to begin fermentation. The wash is then distilled through the distillery's copper pot stills — the stills' small size and long necks result in more contact between the whiskey and copper, and ultimately produce a more refined and layered spirit. Following distillation, the whiskey is matured for a decade in seasoned oak casks which are stored in a 200 year-old granite warehouse. The seasoned casks impart notes of vanilla and caramel to the whiskey, and add a hint of cinnamon.

The Tyrconnell Sherry Cask Finish Whiskey is finished in used sherry casks for six to eight months. The sherry influence lends notes of raisins and honey to the whiskey, which are complemented by the whiskey's notes of tobacco, oak and cinnamon. The finish is soft and lingering, with hints of butterscotch and nutty dough. The Tyrconnell Sherry Cask Finish Whiskey earned a score of 94 points from Wine Enthusiast Magazine in 2012 and 97 points from the Beverage Testing Institute.

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