Animal Spirits x The Whisky Agency Irish “Cooley” 2002 Aged 18 Years

Style: Sweet and Fruity

Rating: ☆+ [Recommended]

Nose:

Elegant aroma of bananas and melon cake. An inbound floral wave packed with lily and jasmine petals, supplemented by a satisfyingly dense coconut cream undertone. Fabulous. Beautiful layer of sweet orange citrus oil down under. Flickering side notes of barley, Brioche, green grass, vanilla and Chartruese gradually congregate around a dry red chilli spine. Very nice.

Palate:

We have a further augmented and amalgamated version of what the nose suggested here. Orange citrus is now dominating, blurring boundaries with its sweetness. Melons and floral tones are caught by an empowered and intense grassy current. More oranges at the core - Curaçaos, with light brushes of pineapple, rock melon and jack fruits making it so round and sweet. Herbal eau-de-vie ascends to a higher place. Honey macadamia and malt with touch of wood shavings to finish.

Finish:

Soft, mostly herbal and some busy red chilli. Orange blossom water and egg pudding resurface at the very end.

Thoughts:

Wow, I don't come across many excellent postmillennial Irish and this is the best one I have tried so far. The young ones are too often dictated by the green malt and their fruitiness restrained. This one, although still unmistakably Irish, is a divine fruit bomb and drinks like a dessert, or nectar. Pleasant, elegant and simply delicious. Inch-close to two stars quality in my opinion. But I must confess, my ratings are stricter than it had been a few years ago, I suppose it is a natural progression as one experiences more whiskies over the years. Now I am going to order one bottle of this!

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[49.1% | Independent Bottling | 2002 Distilled | 2021 Bottled | Single Cask | Barrel | Cask Number: 4676 | 238 Bottles | *+]

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