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23rd February 2022 |
Midleton
unveil the second Very Rare vintage
release under Master Distiller Kevin
O’Gorman. A blend of pot still and grain
whiskey's aged between 12 and 33 years
which have been matured in a combination
lightly charred first fill and refill
ex-bourbon American oak barrels.
 Irish
Distillers today unveiled the 39th
instalment of their popular
Midleton Very Rare series, Midleton Very
Rare 2022.
Midleton Very Rare 2022 is the second
Very Rare bottling of the premium Irish
blended whisky annual release under
Midleton Master Distiller Kevin
O’Gorman, last years release, the first
release selected by O’Gorman fell a little
short for me, putting it together
O’Gorman increased the grain whiskey contribution
in the blend which ended up subduing the
pot still whiskeys in the blend.
The very nature of this annual vintage
release means that no two releases are
identical which really is part of the
pleasure and attraction of each new release, it has varied in quality
over the years, varying from let me say
being a little disappointing due to the
very high quality standard it has set
itself, to absolutely outstanding, for
example Vintage 2009 & 2019 were
absolutely outstanding, Vintage 2014 &
2021 were disappointing and
Vintage 2016 was good.
For this latest Midleton Very Rare
2022 release O’Gorman and his team have selected a blend of single pot still and
single grain whiskeys from the maturing
inventory at Midleton. They selected a
combination of pot still and grain
whiskey's aged between 12 and 33
years which have been matured in a
combination lightly charred first
fill and refill ex-bourbon American oak
barrels. Midleton tells me that "O’Gorman
continued to draw on his wealth of
experience of both distillation and
maturation to maintain a significant
contribution from the excellent single
grain whiskeys in Midleton’s inventory,
while once again allowing the pot still
component to express itself within a
delicately blended vintage". So it does
sound that once again O’Gorman's tastes
leans towards an elevated grain whiskey
element in his selection of contributing
whiskeys in the this years Very Rare
blend.
"As with any Midleton Very Rare Vintage,
we start the search for our perfect
components many months in advance, in a
bid to create the luxurious, balanced
aroma and taste profile for which this
annual release is renowned," explains
O’Gorman.
"Drawing predominantly from our historic
A2 warehouse, we have selected a blend
of whiskeys that work together
beautifully – from superb grain whiskeys
dating back to 1989 with beautiful
floral and rosewater notes, to some
truly wonderful pot still whiskeys from
2009 that offer a delightful fruit
element with citrus."
I haven't had the chance to taste
O’Gorman's second instalment of Midleton
Very Rare so I cannot comment on its
quality but I will update you if I do,
meanwhile the official tasting note is
below.
Bottled from a single vatting during
January 2022 at 40% ABV, Midleton Very
Rare 2022 will be available with a RRP
of €200 over the coming months from specialist online whisky
retailers such as
The Whisky Exchange,
The Whisky Shop and
Master of Malt
|
Midleton Very Rare 2022 Review
|
Bottled at 40% ABV
Producer's Tasting Notes:
Nose:
Fruit-led introduction with fresh citrus
notes of mandarin and candied apple,
while dustings of white pepper with
grated nutmeg deliver subtle levels of
spice that complement the rich and
velvety tones of hazelnut chocolate and
toffee. Carefully balanced, the charred
oak works in tandem with the elegant
grain character, elevating the delicate
and nuanced fresh floral tones with the
addition of sweet vanilla and warming
toasted wood aromas.
Taste:
Caramelised red apples and orange zest
with luscious, sweet, and decadent waves
of crème brûlée that seamlessly
intertwine with the pot still spices and
cereal undertones, creating an
intriguing and wonderful medley of
fruits and spices.
Finish:
Rich and lasting finish in which the
grain and pot still spices are the first
to softly fade, allowing the oak – after
years of carefully maturing the spirit –
to have the final say.
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