Midleton Very Rare Released the First Irish Whiskey Aged in Chestnut

The Midleton Distillery is responsible for the majority of Irish whiskey that you seen on shelves, including brands like Jameson, Redbreast, the Spots, and Powers. But arguably the best label produced at this massive operation just outside of Cork is Midleton Very Rare, a blended Irish whiskey that often features some unique innovations. The latest release introduces the new Rare Wood Collection, and it’s finished in Irish sweet chestnut barrels—a first for the category.

Midleton Very Rare was first launched in 1984 by then master distiller Barry Crockett. The series consists of annual vintage expressions, each a unique blend of well-aged pot still and grain whiskeys, as well as special releases like Barry Crockett Legacy, Forêt de Tronçais, and the Silent Distillery Collection (the final release in that series was made up of the last drops of whiskey produced at the old distillery which closed in 1975). Irish Chestnut Edition is the inaugural release in the Rare Wood Collection, which according to the brand will focus on highlighting “how exceptional and unconventional woods can shape extraordinary Irish whiskey.”

To that effect, this new whiskey was initially aged in fill and refill bourbon barrels for an undisclosed amount of time, and then finished for five years in Irish sweet chestnut casks. As mentioned before, that secondary maturation is a first for the Irish whiskey category. That’s due to the scarcity of this type of tree, as well as the porous nature of the wood which means that there is a very high angel’s share during maturation. In 2017, six Irish sweet chestnut trees (Castanea sativa) were harvested from Cappoquin Estate in the southern part of Ireland. The wood was seasoned and coopered in Spain and then returned to Ireland to be filled with light, medium, and heavy Midleton single pot still whiskeys. The distillery produces a range of styles of pot still whiskey, a uniquely Irish category that is produced on a pot still at one distillery from a mashbill of malted and unmalted barley, often with a small percentage of oats or another grain.

“Moving beyond traditional oak, we wanted to understand how this exceptional wood could bring a new dimension to one of our finest whiskeys,” said current Midleton master distiller Kevin O’Gorman in a statement. “That question set us on a journey of discovery spanning nearly a decade, resulting in the world’s first whiskey finished in casks crafted entirely from Irish sweet chestnut. When we filled these casks, we couldn’t know exactly how Irish sweet chestnut would influence the whiskey, but what we discovered was something genuinely distinctive, a richness, texture and complexity unlike anything we’d experienced before.”

We did not get to try this new whiskey, which was bottled at cask strength of 56.1 percent ABV, but the official tasting notes describe honey-drizzled red apple, caramelized orange peel, melted chocolate, toffee fudge, warming woodland spices, and nutty undertones on the palate. Midleton Very Rare Irish Chestnut Edition is available now in limited numbers at specialty retailers around the globe (SRP $490).