Adare Manor and Midleton Distillery are a natural fit when it comes to craft, tradition, luxury and respect for expertise. The partnership between these two exceptional offerings was established over 7 years ago, when the rarest whiskey at Midleton Distillery was hand-selected and bottled exclusively for Adare Manor for the first time.

This latest release represents the fifth collaboration between the five-star resort and the country’s greatest distillery — a natural celebration of not just the best in Munster, but also a world-class combination, a shared expression of luxury and craftsmanship.

“This is our fifth year of partnering with Midleton Very Rare,” says Brendan O’Connor, General Manager of Adare Manor, “a meaningful and important partnership between the resort and the country’s most historic and significant distillery. We are delighted to bring this latest outstanding single cask release from Midleton Distillery exclusively to our guests and friends, as a reflection of our shared values — both ourselves and Midleton Very Rare have the height of respect for excellence and for the celebration and continuity of tradition. It is also wonderful to be part of Midleton Very Rare’s 40th anniversary year celebrations, and many happy returns to them.”

Midleton Very Rare celebrates its 40th anniversary this year, as this most collectible of Irish whiskeys has an unbroken chain of releases since 1984, for a distillery that has been the guiding light of Irish whiskey for generations.

For the Adare Manor Single Cask release, Master Distiller Kevin O’Gorman has used his expertise from years as Midleton Head of Maturation to select a particularly special second fill bourbon barrel laid down by previous Master Distiller Barry Crockett in 2000. Now in its fifth year of partnerships, O’Gorman states of his third time producing an Adare Manor Single Cask, “Collaborating with Adare Manor on their fifth Midleton Very Rare Single Cask release is truly special. Distilled by my mentor, Master Distiller Emeritus Barry Crockett, in 2000, this remarkable whiskey has spent 22 years maturing in a second fill bourbon barrel, and now it is time to share it with the world.”

After 22 years of maturation, investigation and sampling, Kevin felt that it was time to add this exquisite whiskey to Adare Manor’s collection with this special cask laid down on the 9th of November 2000.

With just 168 bottles produced, the Adare Manor Midleton Very Rare Single Cask No. 5 will be available to buy on-site in the recently refurbished and expanded Boutique at Adare Manor, by contacting the Boutique team on 061-605288 or via their online store, shop.adaremanor.com, at €3,000 per bottle.  

Tasting Notes 

On the nose, the fifth edition of Adare Manor Midleton Very Rare has notes of citrus spice with lemon verbena and chamomile tea. The softer and more nuanced aromas of melon and orange peel are accompanied by the delicate pot still spices. The oak, while gentle, adds intricate notes of woodland spices with cinnamon and nutmeg that create further depth and complexity, adding sweet vanilla that suggests more decadent thoughts of crème brûlée.

Tasting this unique whiskey, you are greeted by cinnamon spice with waves of creamy vanilla and citrus fruits, dancing around the palate, before subsiding to reveal a mild prickle of chilli oil and pepper. The oak’s soft tannins eventually subdue the spices to allow the sweet fruits to continue to build throughout.

The finish is lasting, with the oak and pot still spices giving way to the last word of the soft fruits.

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