Whiskey from a Winery: Concannon Irish Whiskey

 Here's an oddity for you, an Irish Whiskey distilled by Cooley and bottled by a California winery.  The Concannon Vineyard is an old winery, founded by Irish Americans, in Livermore, California.

This is a four year old Cooley blend made from malted barley and corn (it's nice that they provide some mashbill information, which is unusual for an Irish Whiskey producer).  It's aged for four years in bourbon barrels and then finished for an additional four months in their petite sirah casks.  Just in time for St. Patrick's Day, the folks at Concannon sent me a sample.

Concannon Irish Whiskey, 40% ($20)

The nose has a nice, clean maltiness to it.  The palate is heavy on the vanilla with malt in the background.  The finish is pure vanilla, turning to cream soda notes and lasts forever.

This is a sweet, very drinkable, Irish blend.  It's not overly complex, but for a $20 blend, it hits all the right notes.