The latest samples from The Whisky Jury are in: Irish whiskey, rum and armagnac.
We’ll start in Ireland. Apparently The Whisky Jury and The Roots have been fishing in the same pond lately. They’ve each released two 2001 casks from the same #265x range, all within half a year or so. They’re restricted to certain markets though – the one included today is only available in Europe.
I was looking for a proper sparring partner, so I dug up two other Cooley whiskeys bottled a while ago. One from the same vintage and one younger fella.
Cooley 24 yo 2001 (50,4%, The Whisky Jury 2025, cask #2659, 149 btl.)
Nose: slightly warmer than I expected. Plenty of yellow apples, ripe gooseberries and bananas, but also honeyed notes and hints of waffle dough. Really inviting. There’s a nice hint of furniture polish and almond cream as well. Then a little powder sugar and fresh mint leaves.
Mouth: a fruity core with melons, (slightly greener) bananas, mirabelles and a hint of passion fruit. The creamy and honeyed side is clear, along with vanilla and a hint of caramel. Mid-palate some oak spice appears, like ginger and pepper. The fruits gets a little more zesty towards the end, with a subtle grassy touch.
Finish: long, back towards this buttery and fruity combination, with a refined spiciness.
Not a fruit bomb per se, but a very seductive and bright mix of greener fruits and oak spice, rounded by a nice creaminess. Now available from TWJ retailers.
Cooley 22 yo 2001 (52,6%, Radio Mars 2023, bourbon barrel, 194 btl.)
Nose: so full of banana (ice cream) and pineapple this time. Big vanilla and marshmallow notes. A little mangosteen or peach bubble gum. Then there’s also a mild hint of potpourri and marihuana. Herbal notes, let’s say. Lemon peels and slightly grassy notes too. Lots of fun!
Mouth: really oily again, mixing green apple with peach, lychee and mango. Slightly artificial and candied, but at the same time very Irish and very likeable. White grapes and light honey. Then a hint of vanilla, grassy touches and even a mild earthy touch.
Finish: long, with more artificial fruits like strawberries and pineapple. Still some green hints of aniseed.
I’m always surprised of how influenced we become by artifical fruit flavours. For instance it’s really hard to buy a truly ripe peach or mango these days, and in a way we become more accustomed to peach candy or mango yoghurt than to the actual fruits. If Plato had been a whisky drinker, I’m sure he would have a few things to say on this. We’re deviating: this is a lovely whiskey. A private bottling for Edward Zeng, if I’m not mistaken. Score: 90/100
Cooley 8 yo (54%, The Whisky Blues 2023, 181 btl.)
Nose: a more neutral profile, with quite a lot of plain barley. We also find apples and melons but they are driven into a corner by louder vanilla, green tea and hints of toffee. Then also almond, a little white pepper and vegetal oils. White grapes after a while.
Mouth: entirely on green apple, pear and white grape now. Herbal notes become stronger now, mostly sage and mint, along with some cardamom. Then a clear floral layer as well.
Finish: medium, with banana and melon again, along with zesty lime and some oaky tannins.
Okay, maybe not a fair comparison in this session. Both share a similar fruitiness, but this doesn’t come close to the others in terms of complexity. Score: 86/100