diff --git a/src/main/java/biz/paluch/logging/gelf/intern/sender/GelfTCPSSLSender.java b/src/main/java/biz/paluch/logging/gelf/intern/sender/GelfTCPSSLSender.java
index 42121e4fe..84e705ae0 100644
--- a/src/main/java/biz/paluch/logging/gelf/intern/sender/GelfTCPSSLSender.java
+++ b/src/main/java/biz/paluch/logging/gelf/intern/sender/GelfTCPSSLSender.java
@@ -53,12 +53,11 @@ public GelfTCPSSLSender(String host, int port, int connectTimeoutMs, int readTim
 
     @Override
     protected boolean connect() throws IOException {
-
-        this.sslEngine = sslContext.createSSLEngine();
-        this.sslEngine.setUseClientMode(true);
-        this.sslSession = sslEngine.getSession();
-
         if (super.connect()) {
+            this.sslEngine = sslContext.createSSLEngine();
+            this.sslEngine.setUseClientMode(true);
+            this.sslSession = sslEngine.getSession();
+
             // Begin handshake
             sslEngine.beginHandshake();
             doHandshake(channel(), sslEngine, ByteBuffer.allocate(sslSession.getPacketBufferSize()),
diff --git a/src/test/java/biz/paluch/logging/gelf/intern/sender/GelfTCPSSLSenderConnectIntegrationTests.java b/src/test/java/biz/paluch/logging/gelf/intern/sender/GelfTCPSSLSenderConnectIntegrationTests.java
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..fd2209b2d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/test/java/biz/paluch/logging/gelf/intern/sender/GelfTCPSSLSenderConnectIntegrationTests.java
@@ -0,0 +1,116 @@
+package biz.paluch.logging.gelf.intern.sender;
+
+import biz.paluch.logging.gelf.intern.ErrorReporter;
+import biz.paluch.logging.gelf.intern.GelfMessage;
+import biz.paluch.logging.gelf.netty.NettyLocalServer;
+import io.netty.channel.Channel;
+import io.netty.channel.ChannelInitializer;
+import io.netty.channel.socket.nio.NioServerSocketChannel;
+import io.netty.handler.ssl.SslContext;
+import io.netty.handler.ssl.SslContextBuilder;
+import org.junit.jupiter.api.AfterAll;
+import org.junit.jupiter.api.BeforeAll;
+import org.junit.jupiter.api.Test;
+
+import javax.net.ssl.KeyManager;
+import javax.net.ssl.KeyManagerFactory;
+import javax.net.ssl.SSLContext;
+import javax.net.ssl.TrustManagerFactory;
+import java.io.File;
+import java.io.FileInputStream;
+import java.security.KeyStore;
+
+import static org.assertj.core.api.Assertions.assertThat;
+import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assumptions.assumeTrue;
+
+public class GelfTCPSSLSenderConnectIntegrationTests {
+
+    private static NettyLocalServer server = new NettyLocalServer(NioServerSocketChannel.class);
+    private static SSLContext sslContext;
+
+    @BeforeAll
+    public static void setupClass() throws Exception {
+
+        File file = new File("work/keystore.jks");
+        assumeTrue(file.exists());
+
+        KeyStore keyStore = KeyStore.getInstance(KeyStore.getDefaultType());
+        keyStore.load(new FileInputStream(file), "changeit".toCharArray());
+        KeyManagerFactory kmf = KeyManagerFactory.getInstance(KeyManagerFactory.getDefaultAlgorithm());
+        kmf.init(keyStore, "changeit".toCharArray());
+
+        TrustManagerFactory tmf = TrustManagerFactory.getInstance(TrustManagerFactory.getDefaultAlgorithm());
+        tmf.init(keyStore);
+
+        final SslContext sslContext = SslContextBuilder.forServer(kmf).build();
+
+        GelfTCPSSLSenderConnectIntegrationTests.sslContext = SSLContext.getInstance("TLSv1.2");
+        GelfTCPSSLSenderConnectIntegrationTests.sslContext.init(new KeyManager[0], tmf.getTrustManagers(), null);
+
+        server.run(new ChannelInitializer<Channel>() {
+            @Override
+            protected void initChannel(Channel ch) throws Exception {
+
+                ch.pipeline().addLast(sslContext.newHandler(ch.alloc()));
+                ch.pipeline().addLast(server.getHandler());
+            }
+        });
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    public void shouldSendTCPMessagesViaSsl() throws Exception {
+
+        final GelfTCPSSLSender tcpsslSender = new GelfTCPSSLSender("localhost", server.getPort(), 1000, 1000, 1, true,
+                new ErrorReporter() {
+                    @Override
+                    public void reportError(String message, Exception e) {
+                        System.out.println(Thread.currentThread() + " " + message);
+                        if (e != null) {
+                            e.printStackTrace();
+                        }
+                    }
+                }, sslContext);
+
+        Thread thread1 = new Thread(new Runnable() {
+            @Override
+            public void run() {
+                GelfMessage gelfMessage = new GelfMessage("short1", "long1", 1, "info");
+                gelfMessage.setHost("host");
+                tcpsslSender.sendMessage(gelfMessage);
+            }
+        });
+
+        Thread thread2 = new Thread(new Runnable() {
+            @Override
+            public void run() {
+                GelfMessage gelfMessage = new GelfMessage("short2", "long2", 1, "info");
+                gelfMessage.setHost("host");
+                tcpsslSender.sendMessage(gelfMessage);
+            }
+        });
+
+        thread2.start();
+        thread1.start();
+
+        thread1.join();
+        thread2.join();
+
+        for (int i = 0; i < 100; i++) {
+            if (!server.getJsonValues().isEmpty()) {
+                continue;
+
+            }
+            Thread.sleep(100);
+        }
+
+        assertThat(server.getJsonValues()).isNotEmpty();
+        assertThat(server.getJsonValues()).hasSize(2);
+
+        tcpsslSender.close();
+    }
+
+    @AfterAll
+    public static void afterClass() throws Exception {
+        server.close();
+    }
+}