|
Midleton Very
Rare 2018, the 35th edition of the Irish
blended whiskey.
Midleton Very Rare 2018 is believe it
or not the 35th edition of the special
annual Vintage release from the Midleton
distillery. An Irish blended whiskey
made up of a hand picked selection of
some of the best Irish Single Pot Still
whiskeys produced at the Midleton
distillery blended with Irish Single
Grain whiskeys.
Similar to the previous annual releases,
the whiskeys that have gone into the
Midleton Very Rare 2018 blend have been
matured exclusively in lightly-charred
ex-Bourbon American oak barrels and for
the 2018 vintage these have been aged
for between 12 and 28 years. They do not
declare what proportion of the whiskey
in the blend comes from older maturing
stock but I can say that I have never
come across a Midleton Very Rare vintage
that I wouldn't have placed its aged around at
least 18 - 21 years old, so they do
always appear to be generous with the
older stuff that goes into the blend.
Like any annual release of this type, by
its very nature it has varied in quality
over the years, varying from let me say
quite disappointing due to my
expectations of this whiskey to
absolutely outstanding, for example in
recent years Vintage 2009 was
outstanding, 2014 was disappointing and
2016 was good.
Since 2014 the selection and blending of
the whiskeys which go into the Midletion
Very Rare vintage release has fell to
Midleton Distillery Master Distiller
Brian Nation who took over the reigns at
Midleton from retiring Master Distiller
Barry Crockett who was the the man who
originally created the ex-bourbon cask
matured Vintage Release.
The distillery tells me that the
Midleton Very Rare 2018 edition offers a
subtle floral note alongside a hint of
fresh herbs and citrus from the Irish
grain whiskey contribution, which is
complemented by the spicier Irish single
pot still whiskey characteristics of
cinnamon, clove and black pepper. The
vanilla sweetness contrasts with the
charred oak to deliver a finishing touch
of orchard fruit, green banana and a
hint of barley sugar. It certainly
sounds good on paper and here's hoping
that it is.
Brian Nation commented: "It is a great
honour to have my signature on the front
of each bottle of Midleton Very Rare,
and this acts as the ultimate guarantee
of quality from the Midleton Distillery.
We set aside very small amounts of
particularly fine single pot still and
single grain distillates each year so
that the Midleton Very Rare legacy can
continue. This practice has been going
on for over 40 years and today we are
the proud custodians of the exceptional
distillates with a duty of care to
ensure that future generations are able
to enjoy the pinnacle of Irish whiskey
as we do today."
Midleton Very Rare 2018 as always is
bottled at 40% ABV, launching globally
from this month at the RRP of €180, you
will soon find it
available from specialist online whisky
retailers such as
The Whisky Exchange,
The Whisky Shop and
Master of Malt
|
Keep up to date with
the latest whisky news and special
offers