Cooley Distillery
Pioneering independent Irish distillery on the Cooley Peninsula, County Louth, founded in 1987 by John Teeling in a former State-owned industrial potato alcohol plant. Cooley was the first new Irish whiskey distillery to be established in over a century, and its arrival shattered the near-monopoly that Irish Distillers (producers of Jameson and Powers) had held on the Irish whiskey industry. Teeling introduced two radical innovations: the revival of peated Irish whiskey through the Connemara brand — the first peated Irish malt in modern times — and the use of double distillation rather than the triple distillation that had become the Irish standard. Acquired by Beam Inc. in January 2012 for approximately US$95 million, Cooley is now part of Suntory Global Spirits following the 2014 Suntory acquisition of Beam.
Tours
Not available
On-site Shop
No shop
Online Shop
Not available
History
John Teeling purchased the former State-owned Ceimicí Teoranta industrial potato alcohol plant on the Cooley Peninsula in County Louth in 1985, converting it into a whiskey distillery and beginning production in 1987. The political and commercial obstacles were formidable: Irish Distillers attempted to acquire Cooley in 1989 to maintain their monopoly, but the deal was blocked by the Irish government's Competition Authority, preserving Cooley's independence.
In 1987 Teeling also acquired the historic Kilbeggan Distillery site in County Westmeath — founded in 1757 and one of the world's oldest licensed distilleries — preserving its licence (which had been maintained through all closures at £5 per year) and eventually restoring production there in 2007. The Tyrconnell brand, dormant since 1925, was reacquired by Cooley in 1988 and relaunched as a single malt. Connemara's heavily peated character introduced a style of Irish whiskey that had not been seen for generations.
Following Beam Inc.'s announcement of the acquisition in December 2011 and completion in January 2012, public visitor access to Cooley was restricted and tours discontinued. The distillery passed to Suntory Global Spirits (formerly Beam Suntory) when Suntory Holdings acquired Beam Inc. in 2014.
Production
Cooley operates two pot stills (wash still 16,000 litres; spirit still 16,000 litres) and three column stills for grain production — an unusually complete setup for a single site, enabling both pot still malt whiskey and column-still grain whiskey to be produced on-site. Critically, Cooley uses double distillation rather than the Irish industry's traditional triple distillation, a deliberate choice to retain more congeners and flavour in the spirit. Connemara uses heavily peated malt, making it the only consistently available peated Irish single malt. Annual capacity has not been publicly disclosed since the Beam acquisition.
Tasting Character
Cooley's portfolio spans Ireland's full whiskey spectrum. Connemara is the standout: Ireland's only peated single malt, matured in ex-bourbon barrels, it shows earthy, maritime smoke balanced with orchard fruit and vanilla — an Irish whiskey as distinctive as any Islay Scotch. Tyrconnell is the unpeated single malt counterpart: light, floral, and clean with gentle apple and cereal notes. Kilbeggan blended whiskey offers an approachable, mainstream style. Greenore (also labelled Kilbeggan Single Grain) is a soft, creamy corn-based grain whiskey, rare in Irish whiskey, with vanilla, butterscotch, and light oak character.
What They Produce
Notable Bottlings
- Connemara Peated Single Malt£94.50 — Ireland's only consistently available peated single malt; earthy smoke, ex-bourbon maturation; multiple expressions including 12 Year Old and Cask Strength
- Connemara 12 Year Old£1250.00 — Aged expression; developed smoke, vanilla, and orchard fruit; 40% ABV
- Connemara Turf Mór — High-peat variant; more intense smoke character
- Tyrconnell Single Malt£94.50 — Unpeated; light, floral, and cereal-led; revived 1988; multiple expression variants
- Kilbeggan Blended Irish Whiskey£1250.00 — Core blend; approachable and smooth; NAS; 40% ABV
- Greenore 8 Year Old Single Grain — Corn-based grain whiskey; soft and creamy; bourbon-style character
- Kilbeggan Single Grain 15 Year Old — Aged expression from the Cooley grain column still
Visiting
No public visitor experience at Cooley itself since the Beam acquisition. The associated Kilbeggan Distillery in Kilbeggan, County Westmeath, operates a full visitor centre and museum and offers tours — the historic distillery site (licensed since 1757) is one of Ireland's most atmospheric whiskey experiences.