The carefully felled oak from these woods imparts its character and nuances into Midleton Dair Ghaelach Bluebell Forest to create an intrinsically Irish whiskey with historical provenance, traceability and a clear link to the sustainability and rejuvenation of Irish oak. Since the 1600s, generations of the Blunden Family have watched over a stand of Irish oak trees with a carpet of luminescent bluebells covering the forest floor.
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Each bottle can be traced back to one of six individual 130-year-old oak trees that were carefully felled in the Bluebell Forest in May of 2013.īluebell Forest is found among the historic stone walls of Castle Blunden Estate in County Kilkenny.
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In collaboration with expert forestry consultant, Paddy Purser, the Irish Distillers team of Kevin O’Gorman, Head of Maturation, and Billy Leighton, Head Blender, chose Bluebell Forest on Castle Blunden Estate to provide the oak for the second edition in the Midleton Dair Ghaelach series. Midleton Dair Ghaelach Bluebell Forest edition is an exceptional offering finished in barrels made from Irish oak grown in the Bluebell Forest of Castle Blunden Estate in County Kilkenny, imparting a true and unique flavour of Ireland.
#Midleton dair ghaelach bluebell forest series
Midleton Dair Ghaelach was the first whiskey in modern times to be matured in home-grown Irish oak, and the Knockrath Forest edition is the third of this the most Irish of whiskeys to be released.Įach whiskey in the series is as individual as it is irresistible whiskey as satisfyingly Irish as it is undeniably elegant.This Tiny Tipple comes from Tree No. After two years, the Irish oak influence was deemed to have struck a perfect balance with the Single Pot Still character. Nosed and tasted every month, Billy Leighton, Master Blender and Kevin O’Gorman, Master of Maturation, kept a vigilant watch on the liquid. Fifteen months later, the Knockrath oak staves were ready to be worked and yielded 42 casks, each of which received a light toast.įinally, the oak casks for Dair Ghaelach returned to Midleton from Spain, where they were filled with a specially selected range of fifteen to twenty-eight year old Single Pot Still whiskeys previously matured in American oak barrels. Next, the precisely shaped and honed staves 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. Here, under the watchful eyes of the Midleton Distillery’s Kevin O’Gorman, Master of Maturation and our Master Cooper, Ger Buckley, the barrels’ staves were created using the time-honoured craft of quarter sawing. Once harvested, the oak logs were shipped to the Spanish region of Galicia and the Maderbar sawmills where, for more than fifty years, the same family have been working with wood. Sustainably managing oak woods in this way over the centuries has meant that Knockrath estate became one of the first sites where the iconic Great Spotted Woodpecker set up residence on its recent return to Ireland, following years in exile. In fact the Brabazon family have watched over the forests here since the sixteenth century, and continue to manage the trees from one season to to the next. Its provenance as individual as its fragrance, its journey from grain to glass as distinguished as its finish, this is a whiskey like no other. This special whiskey is the true and unique flavour of Ireland.
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The native Irish oak has interacted with the maturing whiskey to impart a complex medley of fruits and delicate spices.
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This Single Pot Still Irish whiskey was matured initially in American Oak Bourbon barrels and finished in virgin native Irish Oak Hogshead casks grown on the Knockrath Estate. It takes us to the beautiful and ancient Vale of Clara, where the Knockrath estate lies hidden amidst the dramatic landscape of mountains and lakes. Midleton Very Rare Dair Ghaelach Knockrath Forest is the latest chapter of the Midleton Dair Ghaelach story. Midleton Very Rare Dair Ghaelach is a range of Single Pot Still Irish whiskeys from the Midleton Distillery meaning, quite simply, Irish Oak.