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Midleton Very Rare

malty fresh
€692Ireland, Blended

Flavours

Whisky character

Fresh
Warm
Mild
Full
Smooth
Spicy

Taste mentions

Facts

Since 1984, one whisky has been released just once a year, then never repeated. The master distiller hand-picks a handful of casks of single pot still and grain Irish whisky. Signs each bottle, and stops. That scarcity is the whole point. The spirit itself is gentle and generous, built from stock laid down across several decades. Expect orchard fruit and soft peach, a thread of citrus, and warm vanilla bean folded into cream. There is a little fresh hay and honeyed grain underneath. It drinks slow and rounded, the kind of pour you sit with rather than rush through.

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About the distillery

Distillery

Midleton

Situated in County Cork, Ireland, the Midleton distillery's has been founded in 1825. Midleton distillery is home to a range of whiskey brands, including the highly regarded Jameson, Redbreast, and Powers. The distillery utilizes a combination of traditional and modern distillation techniques to create a diverse portfolio of whiskies that cater to various palates. One interesting fact about the Midleton distillery is that it houses the largest pot still in the world, known as the "Mighty Midleton." This impressive still has a capacity of 143,872 liters (31,623 gallons) and plays a crucial role in the production of Irish whiskey, contributing to its distinct smoothness and character.

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20Whiskies on Distilld

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Most popular whiskies from Midleton

About the Midleton Very Rare

Midleton Very Rare is a blended Irish whisky made at the Midleton distillery in County Cork, Ireland. First released in 1984, it is one of the most collectable blended whisky bottlings to come out of the country. What sets it apart is the calendar. Each year the master distiller tastes through the maturing stock and selects only a small number of casks. Those casks become a single vintage, released once and never made again. The whisky combines single pot still and single grain spirit drawn from across several decades. That long reach gives each vintage its own personality. The Midleton distillery is the same site that produces Jameson, Redbreast and Powers. The team there works with an enormous library of maturing casks. That depth is the secret behind this blended whisky. It lets the distiller balance older, woodier spirit against younger, fresher grain. The result feels seamless rather than stitched together. In the glass the style is rounded and elegant. You meet vanilla and cream first, then fresh fruit, peach and pear. A bright citrus lift keeps it lively. Underneath sits sweet honeyed grain, a touch of floral and hay, and gentle oak from long maturation. The texture is soft and faintly oily. Bottled at 40% ABV, Midleton Very Rare is best enjoyed neat. Give it a few minutes in the glass and let the vanilla bean and orchard notes open up. It shows why Irish whisky earned its reputation for smoothness and depth. Each yearly release is a small piece of that story.