The Midleton Very Rare Silent Distillery Collection
In 1974, America was in the grips of a political scandal which lead to impeachment proceedings against Richard Nixon. He resigned before he could be impeached but 45 years later, the country is again in the midst of impeachment and its aftermath. What might impeachment have to do with Irish whiskey? Nothing on the surface of it, apart from he fact that both dates (1974 and 2019) are key dates in the rarest release ever to come out of the now silent Midleton Distillery.
In 1974, Master Distiller Max Crockett distilled the last of an experimental peated single malt release and laid it down to rest. His son, Barry Crockett, who eventually succeeded him, sourced the peat for that distillation. 45 years later in 2019, that whiskey finally saw the light of day and began its transfer to rare bottle. If the whiskey could talk, it would wonder how we’re still talking about impeachment.
The Midleton Very Rare Silent Distillery Collection is a collection of six releases. The first is that 45-year-old Irish single malt. There will be one release annually until the year 2025, ranging in age from 45 to 50 years old, all from the fabled Old Midleton Distillery (operating 1825-1975). The last release will coincide with Old Midleton Distillery’s 200th birthday.
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While other silent distilleries have re-opened and been brought back to life, Old Midleton has been fully decommissioned and will never produce again. Midleton Very Rare Silent Distillery Chapter One will be the first official release from Old Midleton Distillery in 16 years and the collection represents some of the last drops of this inimitable spirit before the distillery closed its doors forever.
Midleton Very Rare Silent Distillery Collection Chapter One is the only release in this collection to have been created as a peated single malt – pure innovation for Irish whiskey at the time, and rare still today. Decades in the making, the third-fill sherry cask cask that has influenced this whiskey has been lying dormant for 45 years. This makes it one of the world’s rarest whiskeys by its very nature. The cask contributes notes of ripe honeydew melon, red berries and sweet spices of toasted oak.
In recent years it has been the work of Master Distiller Brian Nation to monitor, sample and determine the ideal bottling time for this rare whiskey laid down by his predecessors. Midleton Very Rare Silent Distillery Collection represents a unique opportunity to taste the work of three legends.
Staying true to its proud Irish heritage and luxury craftsmanship, Midleton Very Rare Silent Distillery Chapter One will be decanted into handblown and etched crystal decanter bottles, produced by Ireland’s Waterford Crystal, with each of the bottles individually numbered. The bottle comes displayed in a wooden cabinet handcrafted by Irish designer, John Galvin, using wood up to 200 years old from ancient reclaimed whiskey vats. This further cements Midleton Very Rare Silent Distillery Collection as the ideal treasure for any whiskey enthusiast.
If you’d like to find a bottle, you’ll have to be quick – many of the 48 bottles that remain after the angels took their share from the cask have been snapped up already. Ask your local retailer if they are willing to trade a kidney to obtain a bottle for you. It will cost you $40,000 if you’re lucky enough to find it; it’s almost as rare as a presidential impeachment. Almost.