To mark the 200th anniversary of Midleton Distillery, Irish Distillers has unveiled Midleton Very Rare 2025, an exceptional vintage whiskey that marries tradition with innovation. Master Distiller Kevin O’Gorman has crafted a blend of six distinct distillate styles, said to be the most complex in the collection’s history.
Sourced from its historic A2 warehouse, Midleton Very Rare 2025 features three grain whiskeys, including a 22-year-old and 21-year-old, matured in refill ex-American oak, and an enhanced contribution of single pot still whiskey, matured in first-fill barrels for added depth.
“This vintage is about legacy,” O’Gorman explains. “But it’s also about progression. We’ve looked back over generations to honour our heritage, and we’ve looked forward in the glass to imagine where Irish whiskey is going.”
Sourced from the historic A2 Warehouse, this year’s release features three grain whiskeys, including a 22-year-old and 21-year-old, matured in refill ex-American oak…
Cask selection and composition
At the heart of the 2025 release is an artful blend of single pot still and single grain Irish whiskeys, some laid down decades ago. In a first for the series, three grain whiskey styles are included, each chosen for their character and maturity.
Alongside Midleton’s signature grain whiskey, is a 22-Year-Old select batch special grain whiskey, crafted from a mash bill of barley and malted barley, which was blended with an equally rare 21 Year-Old grain whiskey. Both matured in refill ex- American whiskey oak barrels, delivering a buttery sweetness and rich butterscotch tones
After creating three prototypes, O’Gorman and his team chose to enhance the contribution of pot still spirit aged in first-fill barrels to bring the blend into its final, finely tuned form.
Bottled at 40% ABV, the whiskey is the colour of sunlit hay, golden, and gently radiant. The nose opens with vanilla and honey. Subtle notes of fruit and oak provide backbone and body.
Smooth and silky, on the palate there’s winning interplay between toffee apples, soft fruits, and sweetened spice. Treacle meets sugar-glazed fruits, albeit with a herbal undertone and some zesty citrus. The dram is complex and rewarding.
The whiskey then exits with a graceful flourish, as befits its status.
Midleton Very Rare 2025 is presented in a fully recyclable gift box, adorned with illustrations of Midleton Distillery, its iconic copper pot stills, and a commemorative 200th anniversary stamp.
Midleton Very Rare 2025 is priced at £220 (€240 / $350), and is available in Ireland, Great Britain, USA, Northern Ireland, Australia, Irish and global travel retail and Irish Distillers’ brand homes.
Redbreast Irish Whiskey has looked to the fortified wine traditions of southern Spain, for the fifth release in its Iberian Series, the Moscatel Wine Cask Edition. For more than a century, Redbreast has been closely associated with the single pot still tradition, a style that defines much of Irish whiskey’s historic identity. Produced at Midleton…
Aged in oak for 50 years, Taylor’s Single Harvest 1976 Port is the latest addition to the brand’s prestigious collection of long-aged, cask-matured port. Drawn from a single year’s harvest and matured in oak, the liquid boasts a copper-amber colour in the glass, with aromas of gingerbread, Seville orange, marzipan and soft caramel. On the…
Actor Karen Gillan has been unveiled as The Muse for Scotch whiskymaker Compass Box, gracing the label art for the company’s upcoming 2026 Hedonism release. A fan favourite in blockbuster franchises such as Doctor Who (Amy Pond), Guardians of the Galaxy (Nebula) and Jumanji (Ruby Roundhouse), Gillan has become one of Scotland’s most recognisable international…
The Luxe Review 
To mark the 200th anniversary of Midleton Distillery, Irish Distillers has unveiled Midleton Very Rare 2025, an exceptional vintage whiskey that marries tradition with innovation. Master Distiller Kevin O’Gorman has crafted a blend of six distinct distillate styles, said to be the most complex in the collection’s history.
Sourced from its historic A2 warehouse, Midleton Very Rare 2025 features three grain whiskeys, including a 22-year-old and 21-year-old, matured in refill ex-American oak, and an enhanced contribution of single pot still whiskey, matured in first-fill barrels for added depth.
“This vintage is about legacy,” O’Gorman explains. “But it’s also about progression. We’ve looked back over generations to honour our heritage, and we’ve looked forward in the glass to imagine where Irish whiskey is going.”
Cask selection and composition
At the heart of the 2025 release is an artful blend of single pot still and single grain Irish whiskeys, some laid down decades ago. In a first for the series, three grain whiskey styles are included, each chosen for their character and maturity.
Alongside Midleton’s signature grain whiskey, is a 22-Year-Old select batch special grain whiskey, crafted from a mash bill of barley and malted barley, which was blended with an equally rare 21 Year-Old grain whiskey. Both matured in refill ex- American whiskey oak barrels, delivering a buttery sweetness and rich butterscotch tones
After creating three prototypes, O’Gorman and his team chose to enhance the contribution of pot still spirit aged in first-fill barrels to bring the blend into its final, finely tuned form.
Midleton Very Rare 2025 Edition tasting notes
The Luxe Review was invited to taste the liquid at the distillery, following the launch of Midleton Very Rare Silent Distillery Collection Chapter Six.
Bottled at 40% ABV, the whiskey is the colour of sunlit hay, golden, and gently radiant. The nose opens with vanilla and honey. Subtle notes of fruit and oak provide backbone and body.
Smooth and silky, on the palate there’s winning interplay between toffee apples, soft fruits, and sweetened spice. Treacle meets sugar-glazed fruits, albeit with a herbal undertone and some zesty citrus. The dram is complex and rewarding.
The whiskey then exits with a graceful flourish, as befits its status.
Midleton Very Rare 2025 is presented in a fully recyclable gift box, adorned with illustrations of Midleton Distillery, its iconic copper pot stills, and a commemorative 200th anniversary stamp.
Midleton Very Rare 2025 is priced at £220 (€240 / $350), and is available in Ireland, Great Britain, USA, Northern Ireland, Australia, Irish and global travel retail and Irish Distillers’ brand homes.
Redbreast Irish Whiskey Moscatel Wine Cask Edition adds Mediterranean influence to Iberian Series
Redbreast Irish Whiskey has looked to the fortified wine traditions of southern Spain, for the fifth release in its Iberian Series, the Moscatel Wine Cask Edition. For more than a century, Redbreast has been closely associated with the single pot still tradition, a style that defines much of Irish whiskey’s historic identity. Produced at Midleton…
Taylor’s releases celebratory 50 year old cask-matured Single Harvest 1976 Port
Aged in oak for 50 years, Taylor’s Single Harvest 1976 Port is the latest addition to the brand’s prestigious collection of long-aged, cask-matured port. Drawn from a single year’s harvest and matured in oak, the liquid boasts a copper-amber colour in the glass, with aromas of gingerbread, Seville orange, marzipan and soft caramel. On the…
Karen Gillan fronts Compass Box Hedonism 2026 limited edition Scotch whisky
Actor Karen Gillan has been unveiled as The Muse for Scotch whiskymaker Compass Box, gracing the label art for the company’s upcoming 2026 Hedonism release. A fan favourite in blockbuster franchises such as Doctor Who (Amy Pond), Guardians of the Galaxy (Nebula) and Jumanji (Ruby Roundhouse), Gillan has become one of Scotland’s most recognisable international…
Share this: