Tasting Notes

Producing WhiskyCast has given me the opportunity to taste some really amazing whiskies, and I’m pleased to share my tasting notes with you here. You can search my entire database of tasting notes from this page, and I hope you’ll find it useful.

Midleton Dair Ghaelach

Country: Ireland

Region:

Type: Single Pot Still

Bottler: Distiller

ABV: 58.1%

Score: 92 Points

Midleton Dair Ghaelach. Image courtesy Irish Distillers Pernod Ricard.This single pot still Irish whiskey from Midleton is unique for two reasons. It’s the first cask-strength Midleton release, as well as the first Irish whiskey in decades to be finished in Irish Oak. The trees came from a sustainably managed forest on the Ballaghtobin Estate near Kilkenny in 2012, and were used to make casks for finishing a blend of Midleton single pot still whiskies between 15 and 22 years old previously matured in ex-Bourbon casks. Future releases will use Irish Oak from similarly managed forests around Ireland.

The nose has notes of chocolate, honey, toasted oak, fresh berries, banana cream pie, and a hint of grilled pineapple. The taste is good and spicy with clove, cinnamon, and a hint of nutmeg balanced by baked fruit cobbler with apples and berries, a hint of cocoa beans, and a touch of oak. The finish is long and well-balanced with spices and fruity notes fading slowly with a nice oakiness. This whiskey helps re-define what Irish Whiskey can be, with a nod to its past and great promise for the future. Excellent! (March, 2015)