Online Editor, Simon Wittenberg, takes a look at the latest annual Very Rare Vintage Release from the Midleton Distillery and the launch of their new online members’ scheme.

The Midleton Distillery in Ireland’s County Cork has unveiled its eagerly anticipated Midleton Very Rare Vintage Release 2019 whiskey, and here at Luxurious Magazine, we have been lucky enough to try it. It is the 36th annual edition in the renowned and highly collectable range, and has been masterfully blended from whiskeys laid down by the distillery over the past forty years.

Owned by Irish Distillers, a subsidiary of the French drinks conglomerate Pernod Ricard, Midelton is the largest distillery on the Emerald Isle and produces many other well-known whiskey brands, such as Jameson, Red Breast and Powers.

Crafted by Master Distiller, Brian Nation, Midleton Very Rare 2019 combines only hand-selected single pot still and single grain Irish whiskeys of exceptional quality and rarity within the Midleton inventory. With each whiskey having been matured exclusively in lightly-charred ex-bourbon American oak barrels for between 13 and 34 years, 2019 marks the oldest collection of casks used to create a Midleton Very Rare.

Brian said: “Each year, for over forty years, we have been setting aside very small amounts of the finest single pot still and single grain distillates so that the Midleton Very Rare legacy can continue. I am delighted that our 2019 vintage is once again a whiskey of exceptional quality that fits beautifully into the family.”

He added: “This vintage features an extraordinary blend of whiskeys from the rarest casks in our collection, with the youngest whiskey in our 2019 vintage having been aged for 13 years, and the oldest dating back to 1985.”

Midleton Very Rare 2019 is a whiskey of great depth and flavour that marries the spice of a pot still whiskey and the floral fragrance of grain whiskey with a layer of delightful sweetness from the finest bourbon casks. Connoisseurs can enjoy ripe fruit notes of sweet pear and apple that develop over time, adding to a delicate touch of mango.

Furthermore, the luxurious liquid offers a luscious and silky texture, with the orchard fruits and pot still spices coming to the fore while the grain’s soft floral notes gently linger in the background, allowing the oak to add dimensions of mild tannins and wood spice. The finish of fruits and gentle spice slowly fade, giving way to the oak foundation that leaves a mild roasted coffee and nutty character to linger until the very end.

To mark the unveiling of the latest Midleton Very Rare vintage release, Irish Distillers has also introduced the ‘1825 Room’, a members’ site to pay homage to Midleton Distillery’s outstanding influence on Irish distilling since its foundation in 1825. Providing exclusive behind-the-scenes content and features about Midleton Very Rare, the website also includes an exclusive online store, with five rare vintages for sale during October.

To celebrate the launch of the 1825 Room, members will have the opportunity to purchase a bottle of the very first 1984 vintage at the price of £40 Irish punts (€50.80). In anticipation of demand being exceptionally high, purchasers will be selected through a ballot system.

Midleton Very Rare Vintage Release 2019 – Where and How?

Bottled at 40% ABV, the Midleton Very Rare Vintage Release 2019 is available globally at the RRP of €180 including in Ireland, the UK and the US. For more information, visit www.midletonveryrare.com.

For more articles on wines and spirits please click here.