JJ Corry 'The Hanson' Blended Grain Whiskey Review

Founder Louise McGuane has a deep history with the drinks industry but a return to her family farm in Cooraclare would result in a major career change. In an old antique shop. Louise found an old label from a whiskey bottle. It read “Mature Irish whiskey, bonded & carefully bottled by J.J. Corry. Kilrush Co. Clare.”

Kilrush is a small port town just a few miles from Louise’s family farm in Cooraclare. J.J. Corry was a Victorian merchant of many things—tea, bicycles, musical instruments – but importantly he was a whiskey bonder.

Bonding was an important industry in Ireland, most whiskey was sold through bonders, not direct from distilleries like it is today. Bonding would create spirits by mixing whiskies of different vintages from different distilleries, aged in different places and in different barrels, fortified wine barrels for example. Other famous examples of Bonders would be Mitchell & Son’s responsible for the Spot rage of whiskies and Gilbey’s responsible for Redbreast. It’s a tradition that ultimately died out until Louise resurrected it by founding JJ Corry in 2013.

Louise decided that this whiskey with rich, deep bourbon-influenced noted would be named the Hanson after J.J. Corry's son in law.

He was a revenue man in the early 1900s, who coincidentally was responsible for inspecting casks at Kilrush dock. He was known locally as “The Gauger Hanson.” Sometimes a name and a story are just too serendipitous to ignore—and so the Hanson was christened after another old neighbour.

Let's Taste!

JJ Corry The Hanson 

46% abv/92 proof NC/NCF.         $34/£26.50/€32.25

Blend of grain whiskies – 80% 10-year-old single grain, 20% 4-year-old single grain.

Age profile now 5-11 years old plus updated labelling (priced at $60, $55 on MoM).

Ex bourbon casks from Tennessee, Kentucky & New York.

Nose: Clean, fresh and lively. Fresh linen, lime wedges, vanilla and butterscotch. Fresh peach, cucumber and salted butter. Finally, a little oak spice as well as coconut macaroons. Well integrated – no alcohol prickle.

Palate: Custard cream biscuits, vanilla cream, icing sugar and banana foam sweets. Fresh coconut flesh plus bounty bars. A nice little hit of oak spice balances out the sweetness as well as pink peppercorns.

Finish: Short with oak, butterscotch and coconut.

Score: 6 out of 10

Overall: Grain whiskies in Ireland and Scotland are an often overlooked category. At the price I paid this is an absolute steal and would have hit a 7 if that was the actual retail price, as it is I’ve priced it according to the JJ Corry website. 

This is relatively simple in terms of flavour development but it is very well put together and delivers the flavours in a satisfying way. It is a little like bourbon light and reminds me of the now defunct Greenore 8 Single Grain which was lovely stuff. 

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