Midleton
release the fourth instalment of their
so far outstanding Dair Ghaelach series
of virgin Irish oak finished Single Pot
Still whiskey's.
Irish Distillers has unveiled the
fourth instalment of their
Midleton Very Rare Dair Ghaelach series
of virgin Irish oak finished Single Pot
Still whiskey's. The latest expression
from the creative whiskey makers down in
County Cork is Midleton Very Rare Dair
Ghaelach Kylebeg Wood Single Pot Still
Irish Whiskey.
As its the new whiskey's name tells you
the Irish Oak used to create the casks
to finish the Midleton Very Rare Dair Ghaelach
Kylebeg Wood expression was sourced from
Kylebeg Wood which is located on the
Ballykilcavan Estate near Stradbally,
Co. Laoi. Seven Irish oak trees were
selected to use to create the virgin
Irish oak hogsheads in which to finish
maturing a combination of single pot
still whiskeys aged between 15 to 28
Year Old which had been previously
matured in American oak barrels.
"With each bottling traceable to a
single tree, Midleton Very Rare Kylebeg
Wood offers a range of seven whiskeys
bottled at cask strengths ranging from
55.4%-56.1% ABV, all with the hallmark
inspiration of fragrant woodland spices
and a heightened intensity of rich wood
tannins that allow the influence of the
Irish oak to linger on the palate until
the very end," explains Master Distiller
Kevin O’Gorman.
"Irish Distillers’ partnership with
Kylebeg Wood is the ultimate example of
how we are collaborating with Ireland’s
forestry custodians to marry sustainable
Irish oak with the highest standards in
forestry practice and conservation, with
some of the finest craftsmanship to be
found anywhere in the world of whiskey,"
explains O’Gorman, who has been at the
forefront of the Dair Ghaelach programme
since its inception more than a decade
ago.
"Once harvested from Kylebeg Wood, the
resulting oak logs were separately
packed and shipped to the Spanish region
of Galicia and the Maderbar Sawmills in
Barralla where, for more than fifty
years, the same family has been working
with wood. Here the oak was cut, using
the time-honoured craft of quarter
sawing before the resulting stave wood
made the ten-hour journey from the
sawmills to the Antonio Paez Lobato
cooperage in Jerez, where they were laid
out to dry naturally in the warmth of
the Spanish sun.
"It took fifteen more months before
these oak staves were ready to create 42
of the most special casks to be found
anywhere in the world, each was then
given a light toast to my own
specifications before returning from
Spain to be filled with a specially
selected range of our finest Single Pot
Still whiskeys, previously matured in
American oak barrels for between
thirteen to twenty-five years."
Nosed and tasted every month for a
further fifteen months, O’Gorman, Master
Blender Billy Leighton, and Blender
David McCabe kept a vigilant watch on
the barrels before the resulting liquid
was deemed to have struck a perfect
balance with Midleton’s hallmark Single
Pot Still character.
I haven't yet had the chance to taste
the
Kylebeg Wood instalment of
Dair Ghaelach series but if it comes
anywhere near to the quality of the
previous releases it should be something
special.
Midleton Very Rare Dair Ghaelach Kylebeg
Wood has a RRP of €310 and is available
from the Midleton website and no doubt
specialist whisky shops such as
The Whisky Exchange and
Master of
Malt
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