McConnell's was born in 1776 and went dark in the early 1900s following a distillery fire and the advent of Prohibition. In 2020, the brand was resurrected. What's in the bottle is a five-year-old blended whiskey, showing honey and coconut aromas. The palate offers golden raisin, red apple and vanilla, leading into a clove and pepper finish punctuated by a final cigar smoke exhale. Yes, the label says “whisky” without the “e,” defying Irish whiskey convention. (KN)