Champions Choice - 23 Year Old – Vintage Bottlers Ltd

Champions Choice was born on the turf — where courage, precision and spirit define greatness. Inspired by Ireland’s legendary racing heritage, each bottle celebrates those who dare to lead, to strive and to triumph.

Distilled at Cooley Distillery and aged for over two decades in a single hogshead cask, this 23-year-old Irish whiskey embodies patience, mastery and victory.

From stable to still, from racetrack to glass — Champions Choice honours those who never settle for second place. It’s not just a whiskey; it’s a toast to perseverance, legacy and the moments that make champions.

Spirit strength: 52.1%
Cask strength: Yes
Single Cask: Yes / #3373
Distilled: 16/10/2001
Bottle size: 700ml
Distillery: Cooley

Colour: Light gold.

Nose: An alluring nose of stewed dark fruits topped with forest honey, against a fresh, peaty smokiness.

Palate: Big fruit-and-nut toffee notes to the fore with a little residual smoke. It concludes with a hearty slab of dark Bournville chocolate.

Finish: A very smooth finish full of dark, velvety, liquid chocolate that clings to the mouth for some time.

Overall comment: As a proud Glaswegian with an adult lifetime’s devotion to Scotch whisky - both blended and single malt - I have to swallow hard before allowing that this 23-year-old offering from the County Louth distillery is a fine discovery. Twice-distilled against the customary three for Irish whiskies, in a distillery that once produced the almost mythical potato spirit, poitin, Cooley is reminiscent of the lighter Islays and Lowland malts, and is well worth investigating. Only active since 1987, the products of the Beam Suntory-owned distillery have already won major international prizes.

By Gordon Coxhill, Whisky Enthusiast & Journalist

Dundalk Rd,

Castletowncooley,Dundalk,

Co. Louth, Ireland

Hogshead Cask