This Tiny Tipple comes from Tree No. 5

Product description is taken from https://www.midletonveryrare.com/en/the1825room/a-spotlight-on-the-most-irish-of-irish-whiskeys

Dair Ghaelach Knockrath – A Spotlight on the Most Irish of Irish Whiskeys

The tale of Midleton Dair Ghaelach Knockrath takes us to the beautiful and ancient Vale of Clara.

It is here that the Knockrath Estate lies hidden amidst the dramatic landscape of mountains and lakes. The Brabazon family have watched over these forests since the sixteenth century. This incredibly special Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey has been matured initially in American Oak Bourbon barrels and finished in virgin native Irish Oak Hogshead casks. With only limited quantities available, we look at what makes this sublime whiskey so unique.

This one-of-a-kind 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.

The native Irish oak has interacted with the maturing whiskey to impart a complex medley of fruits and delicate spices. This special whiskey is the true and unique flavour of Ireland. 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.

The Brabazon family have watched over the forests here since the sixteenth century and continue to manage the trees from one season to the next. 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.

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. 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.

Next, the precisely shaped and honed staves made the 10 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. Fifteen months later, the Knockrath oak staves were ready to be worked and yielded 42 casks, each of which received a light toast.

Finally, the oak casks for Dair Ghaelach returned to Midleton from Spain, where they were filled with a specially selected range of 15 to 28 year old Single Pot Still whiskeys previously matured in American oak barrels. Nosed and tasted every month, Billy Leighton, Master Blender; and Kevin O’Gorman, Master of Maturation, kept a vigilant watch on the liquid. After two years, the Irish oak influence was deemed to have struck a perfect balance with the Single Pot Still character.

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.

Each whiskey in the series is as individual as it is irresistible; whiskey as satisfyingly Irish as it is undeniably elegant.

TASTING NOTES

NOSE
Pot still spices are accentuated by the Irish oak contribution, adding
waves of toasted wood with hints of vanilla and roasted coffee, layered over
fresh fruit which evolves from orchard fruits to tropical notes.

TASTE
Classic pot still spices give a luscious texture to the fore, while the influence of
the Irish oak adds a medley of sweet notes including chocolate and honeycomb.

FINISH
Remarkably long finish with fruit and spices fading to allow the Irish Oak
have the final say.

Tiny Tipples Ready To Enjoy

This Tiny Tipple comes from Tree No. 1

Product description is taken from The Midleton Very Rare Website.

https://www.midletonveryrare.com/en/our-whiskey/dair-ghaelach/kylebeg-wood

The fourth chapter of the Midleton Dair Ghaelach series takes us to Kylebeg Wood on the Ballykilcavan Estate near Stradbally, Co. Laois. Situated amidst rolling fields of barley, the native Irish woodland on the estate has been managed carefully and in tune with nature by the Walsh-Kemmis family for thirteen generations, since 1639.

Kylebeg Wood or ‘An Coill Beag’ in the Irish language, translates as the little wood, and it was in this little wood that native Irish oak was planted in 1820 to replace trees that were felled for shipbuilding during the Napoleonic Wars.

Today David Walsh-Kemmis manages the stands of majestic oak in Kylebeg Wood, using a ‘close to nature’ forest management system in line with AFI best practice. Under David’s astute supervision, seven trees were carefully felled to produce the finest Irish oak hogsheads for the latest chapter in the Dair Ghaelach series.

The space created in the canopy through the felling of these trees has allowed light to once again meet the forest floor, where newly planted saplings now rise to fill it centuries later.

Due to this guardianship approach, much of the forest area on the estate is designated for nature conservation as a Natural Heritage Area. This method of forestry has led to a reappearance of the Pine Marten to the Laois countryside, the return of this native predator has impacted the alien grey squirrel, and indirectly helped the native Red Squirrel which had practically vanished when the invasive Greys outcompeted them on the estate in the 1990’s.

Following years in exile, the iconic Red Squirrel is now flourishing again in Ireland’s heartland, thanks to careful custodianship which respects the circular nature of the ecosystem. Midleton Dair Ghaleach Kylebeg Wood release, pays tribute to the people, flora and fauna of this beautiful part of Ireland.


From Oak to Cask

Once harvested from Kylebeg, the oak logs were shipped to the Spanish region of Galicia and the Maderbar Sawmills in Barralla where, for more than fifty years, the same family have been working with wood. Here the wood was cut, using the time-honoured craft of quarter sawing. 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. Fifteen months later, the Kylebeg oak staves were ready to be worked and yielded 42 casks, each was given a light toast to the specification laid out by Master Distiller Kevin O’Gorman.

Finally, the oak casks for Dair Ghaelach Kylebeg 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.

Nosed and tasted every month, Master Distiller Kevin O’Gorman, Master Blender, Billy Leighton and Blender, David McCabe kept a vigilant watch on the liquid. After two years, the Irish oak influence was deemed to have struck a perfect balance with the Single Pot Still character. The first Irish whiskey to be matured in Irish oak from County Laois, it’s as individual as it is irresistible; whiskey as satisfyingly Irish as it is undeniably elegant.


Tasting Notes:
Nose:
Fragrant woodland spices with notes of cinnamon and nutmeg to the fore accompanied by aromatic oils and earthy pot still notes. Delicate hints of nectarine develop to create a zesty fruit note with dustings of white pepper. Additional aromas of dairy fudge and vanilla further accentuate the sweet nature of the whiskey.

Taste:
Fortified by the Irish Oak, the pot still spices lead with a heightened intensity thanks to the rich wood tannins before subsiding to reveal velvety tones of caramel with sweet stewed apple and touches of orange peel. Dark chocolate with subtle notes of honeycomb and vanilla weave amongst the spices.

Finish:
Delightfully long finish with the fruits and apices slowly fading, allowing the Irish Oak to linger until the very end.

Tiny Tipples Ready To Enjoy