Irish Distillers Unveils Midleton Very Rare Dair Ghaelach Kilranelagh Wood
Irish Distillers has unveiled Midleton Very Rare Dair Ghaelach Kilranelagh Wood, the fifth release in the Dair Ghaelach collection. Dair Ghaelach, which translates to ‘Irish oak’, is an exploration of the potential of native Irish oak in the maturation of Irish whiskey.
Midleton Very Rare Dair Ghaelach Kilranelagh Wood was finished in virgin Irish oak barrels made from six Irish oak trees grown on the grounds of Kilranelagh Estate, County Wicklow, Ireland. These casks were filled with light, medium, and heavy styles of 15-20 year old Single Pot Still Irish Whiskeys previously matured in American oak Bourbon barrels. After finishing for 20 months in the virgin Irish oak, the whiskeys were bottled non-chill filtered and at cask strengths ranging from 56.8% to 57.5% ABV per tree.
Official tasting notes for Midleton Very Dair Ghaelach Kilranelagh Wood follow:
Nose: Forest notes of fresh pine accompanied by floral honey and ground pepper at first, while sweet and tropical fruits can be detected amongst the herbal green tea and freshly mown hay. The use of the native Irish oak lends itself to creating distinctive aromas of smoked almonds with sweet vanilla and cinnamon that are complimented by the pot still savoury spices.
Taste: Robust and lively at first with notes of dried chilli flakes and red bell peppers which quickly soften, allowing notes of candied orange and crisp red apple to shine through. The oak continues to deliver sweet vanilla and cinnamon spice throughout, while the pot still spices add a hearty and full-bodied nature to this complex and intricate whiskey.
Finish: Wonderfully long finish which sees the pot still spices and oak linger, almost effortlessly, for an age.
Midleton Very Rare Dair Ghaelach Kilranelagh Wood is presented in new luxury sustainable packaging, replacing the wooden cabinet of prior releases. The move supports Irish Distillers’ sustainable packaging initiative that was announced earlier this year. The fully recyclable emerald box features artwork by award winning Irish artist and illustrator, David Rooney, and depicts the unique flora and native fauna of the Kilranelagh Estate.
Midleton Very Rare Dair Ghaelach Kilranelagh Wood is now available in Ireland, UK, France, Brand Homes, USA, and and China at a suggested retail price of €440 for a 70 cL bottle.
Source: Irish Distillers.