Midleton Very Rare Vintage Release 2018 announced

First introduced in 1984, Ireland's largest distillery, based in the county of Cork, year after year releases its famous and popular Blended Whiskey from the Very Rare Vintage series. 2018 marks the 35th anniversary of this tradition. Since 2014 master distiller Brian Nation has been responsible for the creation of this limited edition bottling, for which only the best casks are married.

Vanilla sweetness and spices

The Midleton Very Rare Vintage Release 2018 consists of exceptional, rare and hand-picked single pot still and single grain Irish whiskeys. The carefully selected whiskeys have been matured for between 12 and 28 years exclusively in lightly charred ex-Bourbon American white oak barrels. This gives the final blended whiskey a wonderful vanilla sweetness that has been something of a tradition in the series for almost four decades. The Midleton Very Rare 2018 is said to have a subtle floral note with a hint of fresh herbs and citrus, complemented by the spicy characteristics of the single pot still whiskey with aromas of cinnamon, clove and black pepper.

Proven practice for 40 years

"Every year we set aside very small quantities of barrels filled with particularly fine single pot still and single grain distillates so that the Midleton Very Rare series can continue," said Brian Nation. And this tradition will continue in the future: "This practice has been going on for over 40 years, and today we are the proud custodians of these exceptional distillates, with a duty to ensure that future generations can enjoy the pinnacle of Irish whisky as we do today". The master distiller personally vouches for the outstanding quality of this blended whisky by giving his signature on the label of each individual bottle.

Available at selected retailers from October

For thirty years – until his retirement in 2014 – master distiller Barry Crockett has led this limited series of annual bottlings before Brian Nation took over. Midleton Very Rare Vintage Release 2018 is bottled at 40% abv and will be available from October, initially in some specific countries.

Official tasting notes

Nose: Vanilla sweetness with a light floral scent. A little citrus peel combined with fresh herbs and sweet spices, complemented by a hint of black pepper and charred oak.

Palate: Sweetness of vanilla, cinnamon and clove, enriched with a hint of green apple and unripe banana. Complex and peppery with notes of charred American oak.

Finish: Smooth with sweet spices; towards the end notes of charred oak and barley grains.