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24th January 2020 |
Midleton
unveil the third release in their highly
rated virgin
Irish oak finished collection, Midleton Dair
Ghaelach Knockrath Forest edition.
 Irish Distillers has unveiled the
third release in their so far very
highly rated Dair Ghaelach collection,
the new release is Midleton Very Rare
Dair Ghaelach Knockrath Forest which was
initially matured in American bourbon
barrels then finished in barrels made
from virgin Irish oak grown in Knockrath
Forest, County Wicklow.
The
story of Midleton Very Rare Dair
Ghaelach (which is Gaelic for ‘Irish
oak’ and pronounced ‘Dar Gay Lock’),
began over a decade ago when the
innovative and creative Masters at
Midleton decided to explore the
possibility of maturing Irish whiskey in
native Irish oak. Midleton’s talented
team, led by Master of Maturation Kevin
O’Gorman, Master Cooper Ger Buckley and
Master Blender Billy Leighton, set out
to source sustainable Irish oak from
estates throughout Ireland to produce a
series of whiskeys, each with their own
individual history and taste profile,
that could be traced back to the
specific tree from which the oak cask
was made.
For this third edition, the Midleton
team selected the Knockrath estate in
the ancient Vale of Clara where the oak
has grown for more than 150 years amidst
the landscape of mountains and lakes.
Known for its cool summers and heavy
rainfall, the climate of County Wicklow
impacts the density and porosity of the
oak. This, in addition to a lighter
toasting of the wood and unique
combination of distillates, has they
tell me resulted in
subtle flavour differences between Dair
Ghaelach Knockrath Forest and its
predecessors, Dair Ghaelach Grinsell’s
Wood and Dair Ghaelach Bluebell Forest.
The carefully harvested
trees from Knockrath Forest were
felled and shipped to the Maderbar
sawmills in Baralla, north-west Spain,
where they were traditionally quarter
sawn into staves for barrel
manufacturing and transferred to the
Antonio Páez Lobato cooperage in Jerez.
After a 15-month drying process, the
staves were worked into barrels and
given a light toasting before returning
to Ireland.
At Midleton Distillery, the virgin
oak casks were filled with Irish pot
still whiskeys ranging in age from 13-26
years which had initially matured in
American bourbon barrels. Following two further years
maturing in the Irish oak, O’Gorman and
Leighton diligently checked the barrels
each month until finally the pair felt
the whiskey had the perfect balance of
flavour, aroma and wood contribution
ready for bottling.
Midleton Very Rare Dair Ghaelach
Knockrath Forest is bottled at cask
strength ranging from 56.1% – 56.6% ABV,
giving drinkers the opportunity to taste
Irish whiskey almost directly from Irish
oak. The native wood contributes notes
of caramel, fruits, vanilla and
chocolate for a smooth and robust
whiskey.
Kevin O’Gorman explains: "Midleton Very
Rare Dair Ghaelach Knockrath Forest is
an amazing 150-year journey from
Knockrath Forest to bottle and one we’re
proud to be part of. Traceability and
sustainability are at the heart of this
whiskey and, until we started this
project, Irish oak had not been used to
mature whiskey for well over 100 years.
Today, thanks to sustainable practices,
we can harvest small volumes and trace
each bottle right back to the very oak
tree that helped to create it. This has,
in turn, fostered an awareness and
appreciation among whiskey lovers that
there is even a subtle difference
between trees which contributes to a
whiskey’s unique flavour."
Billy Leighton added: "It’s an honour to
present the latest edition in the
Midleton Very Rare Dair Ghaelach
collection. Truly a taste of Ireland,
the barley, water, oak and indeed
craftspeople at the heart of this
expression are all home-grown, making us
extremely proud to share this latest
expression in the Midleton story with
the world."
Midleton Dair Ghaelach Knockrath Forest
is available from this month in Ireland,
UK, France, US and China with a RRP €310
per 70cl and it will soon be available
from specialist whisky shops such as
The Whisky Exchange and
Master of
Malt
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Midleton Dair Ghaelach Knockrath Forest Review
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Producer's Tasting Notes:
Nose:
Pot still spices are accentuated by the
Irish oak contribution, adding waves of
toasted wood with hints of vanilla and
roasted coffee, layered over fresh fruit
which evolves from orchard fruits to
tropical notes.
Taste:
Classic pot still spices give a luscious
texture to the fore, while the influence
of the Irish oak adds a medley of sweet
notes including chocolate and honeycomb.
Finish:
Remarkably long finish with fruit and
spices fading to allow the Irish oak to
have the final say.
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