John Teeling bought the former State potato schnapps distillery in 1985. In less than two years, Teeling converted the distillery to have two column stills. In 1998, Cooley received a trophy at the International Wine and Spirit Competition for outstanding quality, and for earning an impressive reputation over time. Cooley was the first distillery to be awarded the trophy. In December 2011, Cooley was purchased by Beam Inc. for $95 million. Beam was then purchased by Suntory Holdings of Osaka, Japan on 30 April 2014, and became its Beam Suntory subsidiary. Since the change of ownership, visitor access to the distillery is limited and public tours are not available. Following the sale, John Teeling went on to found the nearby Great Northern Distillery, while his children Jack and Stephen established the Teeling Distillery in Dublin, using stock acquired from Cooley under the terms of the sale agreement with Beam.
Current product range
Kilbeggan — a blended whiskey, Kilbeggan was originally distilled at the Kilbeggan Distillery, which is now owned by Beam Suntory. Best known for its non-age stated version, in 2007, a 15-year aged version was released. An 18-year aged whiskey has also been released.
Kilbeggan Single Grain — formerly marketed as Greenore, this is a single grain whiskey, made with corn alone, and aged in Bourbon casks. Kilbeggan Single Grain is found with several age statements; 6-, 8-, 15-, and 18-year versions are produced, although the 15- and 18-year releases are relatively rare.
Connemara — a peated single malt whiskey, Connemara is double-distilled rather than the more usual triple-distillation process that most Irish whiskeys undergo. It is aged in Bourbon casks. Several versions are found; single-cask, cask-strength, 12-year, and a high-peat version called "Turf Mór."
The Tyrconnell — a single malt whiskey, The Tyrconnell was acquired as a brand by Cooley in 1988 after being dormant since 1925, when the old Watt's Distillery closed its doors.
2 Gingers - A blended whiskey founded in 2011 by Minnesota bar owner and businessman Kieran Folliard. The 2 Gingers Whiskey Co. was acquired by Beam Inc. a year after the product was initially released.
Cooley also released a single pot stillpoitín, which was available at the Celtic Whiskey Shop in Dublin and at Dublin Airport, with the intention of expanding production to release it in other markets such as the US. However, this has since been discontinued. Similarly, Michael Collins, a single malt whiskey produced for the US market, was discontinued after the distillery was bought by Beam in 2012.
Distillation process
The distillery features both column stills and pot stills for distillation. Unlike most other Irish whiskeys, which are usually distilled three times, Cooley's products are generally distilled twice, as the third distillation is thought to remove some of the flavour components.
Critical acclaim
Cooley has won over 300 medals since opening. Other awards they have received include "European Distiller of the Year" in 2008 and 2009 and "Distillery of the Year" in 2008 from the InternationalWine and Spirit Competition and "Distillery of the Year" in 2010 from Malt Advocate magazine. Individual item awards for Cooley's products include an IWSC "Best in Class" for Kilbeggan in 2005, an IWSC Gold Medal for The Tyrconnell in 2004 IWSC Gold Medal and Best in Class in 2010 for Greenore, and a World Whiskies Awards Best in Class in 2011 and 2012 for Greenore.
