Midleton Very Rare Irish Whiskey Review (2019)

By Paer Johansson

Rating: B+

Paer’s rather nice sample bottle of 2019 Midleton Very Rare
(Credit: Paer Johansson)

Have you heard about Irish Distillers? Really? Well, you might know that they are the biggest distillers of Irish whisky and part of Pernod Ricard. But do you also know that they through their Midleton Distillery produce the whiskey brands Powers, Jameson, Yellow/Green/Red Spot, Redbreast and Midleton itself?

The pinnacle of the releases of premium whiskeys from Midleton Distillery is the Midleton Very Rare. The first edition was created in 1984 by Master Distiller Emeritus Barry Crockett. Since then, once a year, Master Distiller Brian Nation honors Barry’s vision by blending 250 casks of the rarest whiskeys available to him and release a limited edition.

This year, the 36^th edition, contains single pot still and single grain Irish whiskies aged in ex-bourbon American oak barrels for between 13 and 34 years making this the oldest ever Midleton Very Rare.

The 2019 edition of Midleton Very Rare is launched together with “1825 room”; a new, online member’s programme for lovers of this exclusive range of whiskies. There, users will be able to by bottles, read about the various editions and converse on their favorite subject.

The Whiskey
The first thing you notice is the beautiful bottle with the distinct little nick in the neck and the body tapering down to the solid, thick bottom. The bottle oozes quality and sophistication.

The color of the liquid is wonderfully light golden brown and the legs on the side of the glass are slow, lazy and oily.

The nose is sweet and fruity with a full body of vanilla and a veil of spiciness. The vanilla is gorgeously deep and rich. Ripe, fruity notes of satsumas and pears are sprinkled with cloves and cinnamon.

The initial taste is deceptively smooth and silky with taste of pears, plums and peaches. This is however soon followed by a sneaky, spicy and hot kick of cloves and chili.

The spiciness gives away to a lingering and oily finish that still have a fruity character but hints of walnuts and coffee takes over and lasts to the end.

This is a very drinkable whisky that reminds the lucky glass-wielder of sumptuous desserts of spiced pears with vanilla ice-cream. This very limited and exclusive bottling retails at 180 euro and would make a very special gift to beginners and whisky-lovers alike.

The Price
In Europe, the official price point for this whiskey is €180. It’s not uncommon in the States to see it marked at $200 a bottle, which is actually a fair conversion of its home price point. However, sometimes it is marked up to $250 or even $300.