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Midleton Very Rare releases 47YO whiskey
Irish Distillers has unveiled the third expression in its Midleton Very Rare Silent Distillery collection – a 47-year-old whiskey priced at US$51,000.
The first expression in the range, a 45-year-old single malt, was unveiled in February 2020. It was followed by a 46-year-old bottling last year.
Pernod Ricard’s Irish Distillers unit will launch one whiskey each year until 2025 as part of the Silent Distillery range, with each expression ranging in age from 45 to 50 years. The six-strong series is thought to be Ireland’s oldest whiskey collection.
Chapter Three in the collection is a 47-year-old single pot still Irish whiskey matured in two casks – ex-Sherry butt and ex-Bourbon barrel.
The resulting liquid offers a nose of forest fruits, sugar-glazed cherries and muscovado sugar, while the palate brings hints of ‘dark roasted coffee and caramelised fruits with crushed pistachio and hazelnut’.
The latest bottling is inspired by fire, dating back to 1854 when the largest pot still in the world was assembled at the Old Midleton Distillery and managed by ‘fire men’ who controlled the temperature.
Master distiller Kevin O’Gorman said: “Crafted from a marriage of distillations left to mature over 47 years in a hand-selected Bourbon barrel and a Sherry butt, Midleton Very Rare Silent Distillery Chapter Three is a wonderfully aged yet contemporary expression of Irish whiskey like no other.
“This year the inspiration of fire came from the world’s largest pot still and the relentless work from the local men, the ‘fire men’ who used to feed the still’s fires, whilst learning how to regulate the heat through stoking and raking to ensure the temperature was correct.”
There are just 97 bottles of the whiskey available, with each bottling presented in a decanter made by Waterford Crystal and a wooden cabinet. The markings of the cabinet recall the flames that once warmed the old pot still.
Silent Distillery Chapter Three will be available to purchase via a ballot on the Midleton Very Rare 1825 room from today (3 May) until 10 May. It will be available to buy in the UK, Ireland, the US, France and global travel retail.