Midleton Dair Ghaelach Irish Whiskey Review (Knockrath Forest)

By Paer Johansson

Rating: B+

All right, so we have all heard of and experienced that different factors affect the taste of whisky such as the fermentation time, the type of yeast used, the length of the middle-cut and of course the cask the whisky is matured in. We also know that different casks can attribute different flavors to the whisky even though they have the same distillate within them, are stored in the same place and for the same amount of time.

This can be show-cased through different single-cask expressions of the same distillery, which can be a great experience to taste and compare. But could you geek away even further into this field of wood-influence on whisky? Sure you could, as Irish distillers decided to do with Dair Ghaelach.

Midleton Dair Ghaelach is a series of Irish pot still whiskeys, firstly matured in traditional bourbon barrels and then finished for two years in native Irish oak. But not only does each series use casks made from trees from a specific forest (Knockrath Forest in this third release), they also created barrels from individual trees.

Seven sustainably grown oak trees in the Knockrath forest were selected, transformed into seven lightly toasted casks in Spain and then filled in Ireland with a vatting of whiskeys ranging from 13 to 26 years.

This series therefore includes seven bottles, Trees 1-7, which provides a unique opportunity to compare whisky where the only difference in its making is the individual tree making up the barrel it’s been finished in.

Commenting on the release, Midleton’s Master of Maturation, Kevin O’Gorman, said: “Midleton Very Rare Dair Ghaelach Knockrath Forest is an amazing 150-year journey from Knockrath Forest to bottle and one we’re proud to be part of. Traceability and sustainability are at the heart of this whiskey and, until we started this project, Irish oak had not been used to mature whiskey for well over 100 years. Today, thanks to sustainable practices, we can harvest small volumes and trace each bottle right back to the very oak tree that helped to create it. This has, in turn, fostered an awareness and appreciation among whiskey lovers that there is even a subtle difference between trees which contributes to a whiskey’s unique flavor.”

The Whiskey
This journey through the seven trees starts with a nose of Tree 1.

Lots of exotic fruits like pineapple and mango which is typical for Midleton. Standing in the background of this fruit-cocktail of smells is a clear spicy woodiness of cinnamon and cedar tree with a smidge of vanilla toffee.

As can be expected, the six other bottlings have very similar smells to number one with slight variances in woodiness and sweetness. Subtle whiffs of coconut, tobacco, caramel and leather can be distinguished.

The taste of number one is potent. A real hit of flavors. Pineapple is still there with leather and vanilla fudge, followed by a pleasant, velvety spiciness of cinnamon and anise. The after-taste carries for a long time leaving a warm and mouth-watering feel.

Carrying on through the bottlings, they all have this clear taste of exotic fruits (mainly pineapple and peach) and a long, lingering, spicy aftertaste, but there are small variances in the amount of woodiness and especially in the texture of the after-taste.

An exception to the rule is Tree number 5 which stands out from the others with a mellower but rougher texture of tannins.

In conclusion, this is a very interesting and geeky line-up of whiskeys that require concentration, peace and quiet and that challenges the taster. They are all good drams with a real cask-strength punch that are well worth trying as a single bottle, but even more so as a theme on a tasting or a conversation-topic in your favourite whiskey-bar.

The rating reflects the whiskey if drank as a single bottle (my favourite was number 6), but considering the experience in comparing the bottles to one another and the curiosity the concept evokes, I would rate the collection at A-.

To geek out a bit further, here are the ABVs; Tree 1 56.6%, Tree 2 56.3%, Tree 3 56.5,% Tree 4 56.1%, Tree 5 56.5%, Tree 6 56.6%, and Tree 7 56.5%.

The Price
Dair Ghaelach Knockrath Forest is available in Ireland, UK, France, US and China with the recommended selling price of €310 ($340) a bottle. The full set of seven is fetching over €2,000.