Michael Collins “The Big Fellow” Blended Irish Whiskey is related to the Michael Collins Irish Whiskey via their brand creator (Sydney Frank) and whiskey creator (Cooley). I can’t find any hard facts from the brand about these 2, however I’ve cobbled together the “facts” for the Big Fellow, as laid out by a couple different blogs, below. The accuracy of the info is definitely up for debate, so don’t say I didn’t warn you.
The Big Fellow Irish Whiskey is supposedly made from a blend of single malt (2x pot distilled) and grain whiskey (obvious). The grain whiskey is at least 4 years old and the malt ranges from 8 – 12 years in age. Cooley is know for adding a small amount of peat in their whiskies so a touch could be in there, but I didn’t notice any. After blending the single malt and corn-based grain whiskey together the liquid was further matured in small oak barrels for an unknown amount of time. I don’t know if all of this is true, but the one thing I know for sure is that with Beam cutting off the Cooley supply this brand no longer exists
As a side note, this is named in honor of Michael “The Big Fellow” Collins who was a leader in the fight for Irish Independence in the early 1900s. He was assassinated in 1922 at the ripe old age of 31 and reading about his life is pretty interesting. So interesting that I’m posting a link to his Wikipedia page so you can find out more about him if you wish, but now… on to the whiskey!
Michael Collins “The Big Fellow” Blended Irish Whiskey Info
Region: Cooley Peninsula, Ireland
Distiller: Cooley
Bottler: Sydney Frank
Cask: ex-Bourbon
Age: NAS
ABV: 40%
Price: $40
Michael Collins “The Big Fellow” Blended Irish Whiskey Review
EYE
Caramel
NOSE
Light and wispy with a grainy punch, but notes of honey, fruit, melt, caramel and vanilla manage their way through along with an alcohol kick.
PALATE
Where the nose was grainy the palate is grassy… holy balls this is grassy. Some light notes of fruit, vanilla, honey and oak make their way through the foliage, but they’re come across lightly.
FINISH
Long and grassy with notes of grain, caramel and wood that fade to a sweet alcohol note.
BALANCE, BODY & FEEL
Disjointed and unbalanced, medium body and a texture like light syrup with a mild burn.
OVERALL
Michael Collins “The Big Fellow” Blended Irish Whiskey isn’t what I’d call “good”. It’s harsh, unbalanced and lacks a definable character (unless “wha?” is a character). It’s a confusing whiplash of a dram that moves from grainy to grassy with no real steps in-between. It’s funny though. I remember a time when I really enjoyed this whiskey and I’m not sure if it’s because the quality went down at the end or my palate became more “sophisticated”. Either way I’m not missing the fact that it’s no longer in production.
SCORE: 75/100