Keeper’s Heart bottles 32YO Irish single malt
The new Irish single malt from Minneapolis-based Keeper’s Heart was distilled at Cooley Distillery in County Louth.
Keeper’s Heart 32-year-old Irish Single Malt comes from a single barrel that was selected by master distiller Brian Nation in 2020. The whiskey shows a subtle signature of peat, not from the mashbill, but from the stills at Cooley Distillery, where it was originally distilled.
“The pot stills had once been used for peated whiskey and were never fully cleaned,” Nation said. “That faint wisp of smoke became a beautiful and unexpected part of this whiskey’s identity.”
The whiskey is bottled at 54.9% ABV and priced at US$2,500. It will be available exclusively at the O’Shaughnessy Distilling merch store as well as via direct-to-consumer allocation and select private retail partners.
On the nose, the whiskey shows a whisper of smoke that mingles with canned mandarin oranges, passion fruit, vanilla, and honeysuckle. The palate brings mango, lychee, and pineapple, balanced by spiced orchard fruit and toasted oak.
“Every whiskey we release tells a story – but this one is a legend,” said Patrick O’Shaughnessy, Keeper’s Heart co-founder. “It’s a tribute to the roots we honour and the rare moments we create.”
Last September, Keeper’s Heart released a 21-year-old single malt that was also distilled at Cooley. At the time, Nation told The Spirits Business that the release would be the first in a series of advanced-aged expressions from the brand. It had purchased a number of barrels from Cooley and will continue to age and finish them, releasing limited expressions every year or two.
In 2020, Nation left Pernod Ricard’s Irish Distillers for O’Shaughnessy Distilling. At the company, he blends American and Irish whiskeys, as well as offering these limited single malts, which are throwbacks to a different era of Irish whiskey.
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