Midleton

The iconic Michell & Son 'Spot' whiskey was so named because of the practice of marking casks with a spot of coloured paint to indicate the age of the whiskey contained within. Originally there were four spotted whiskey's available: 7 year old Blue Spot, 10 year old Green Spot, 12 year old Yellow Spot and 15 year old Red Spot. The Blue and Red botllings have not been produced for many years and few examples remain in existence. In 1971 Irish Distillers consolidated production at Midleton Distillery, and changed the receipt of their only spot still in production at the time - Green Spot.

There’s quite a difference between an established company introducing a new expression vs. launching an entirely new product and associated brand. A new product line will need to find a customer base – it’ll invariably be competing with a wide range of pre-existing companies. But, introducing a new expression will often be positioned as an extension of an existing brand – leveraging underlying reputation, authority and loyalty to improve visibility, boost customer connections and of course to drive additional profits. British information and data measurement company Nielsen suggest that brand extensions are up to 5 times more successful than new launches.

Tasting notes highlighting “cedar” are far from infrequent. Cedar’s richness seems to cross boundaries – from essential oils and air fresheners through to carpentry. Its presence is highly aromatic, deemed pleasurable and altogether different from more predictable notes of vanilla and butterscotch. And yet as a descriptor its usage within drinks production is almost always linked to aromas and flavours that are *like* cedarwood – not necessarily derived directly from it.

A 20 year long study published in 2017 indicated that chestnut barrels improved brandy’s quality and complexity, result in higher contents of wood extractable compounds, produce a more evolved colour and create higher antioxidant activity. The paper also noted that chestnut was cheaper than Limousin oak, could be used faster and more frequently, and also might be used to assist with the recovery of the species across Mediterranean countries where forestry had reduced its prevalence. All remarkable observations. And yet whilst chestnut is starting to see wider adoption across a variety of alcohol types, there’s not been a wholesale explosion in its utilisation.

2017 has brought a new version of well-known Irish blend Midleton Very Rare. Composed of single pot still and grain whiskeys drawn from ex-Bourbon barrels, the annual release first unveiled in 1984,  is now in its 34th incarnation. The 2014 edition of Very Rare was released for the 30^th anniversary of the blend and was the first to bear the name of the new Master Distiller Brian Nation who took over from Barry Crocket who retired in 2013.

The annual releases of Midleton Very Rare are always highly anticipated, and shortly you’ll be able to pick up the latest edition with a new, smart presentation style. Very Rare has always been positioned as a premium Irish whiskey, but despite consistent high interest, and much praise for the liquid itself, few would suggest that the wooden coffin box that has accompanied the blend over the past 33 years was anything more than functional. The redesign is quite a radical departure compared to the bottlings of the past three decades. It’s already available in Ireland, the US and Canada and will be rolled out to other markets, including the UK from next month.

In most countries, the law stipulates that whisk(e)y must be bottled at a minimum alcoholic strength of 40% ABV. This somewhat arbitrary figure came around due to a combination of political imperatives, wartime necessities and of course the old chestnut of taxation. It’s interesting to read about the historical changes in alcoholic strength (previous determined as ‘proof’), especially during the time of the First World War, when distilleries were licensed by the Ministry of Munitions. At one point, the alcoholic volume permitted dropped as low as 50 degrees under proof (28.6%) for whisky sold within munitions areas – no one likes a booze-based explosion. Similarly, at that time, a number of distilleries and munitions depots shared sited together – with a selection of distillation by-products utilised to support the war effort.

Change within any industry rarely happens overnight. And it equally rarely happens without someone, somewhere asking for it. As the adage goes: you don’t ask, you don’t get. And depending on what it is, consumers might be asking for quite some time. At a glance, whisky appears fast paced – an endless stream of new distillery openings – more new bottles than you could shake a stick at. But in reality and like the transformations that take place inside a barrel as it matures, change in the whisky world generally happens at a rather languorous pace. Less revolution, more measured evolution.

The saying goes that it is easier to follow than to lead. But this adage was taken from a time when it was assumed that everyone naturally always wanted to ‘be the boss’. The world’s greatest dance partnerships do indeed have a leader – but there’s nothing about that role that intrinsically requires more skill, more thought or more natural ability than that of the follower. And for Midleton’s new Master Distiller Kevin O’Gorman, I dare say that following (Brian Nation and Barry Crockett before him), is both an immense privilege, but also something of a Gordian Knot.

Composed of single pot still whiskies aged between 13 and 26 years that were originally matured in ex-bourbon American oak casks before being married together and then filled into seven individual Irish oak cask sourced from Knockrath Forest in County Wicklow for two years of additional maturation. Available from earlier this year in selected markets (Ireland, UK, US, France and China) for an RRP of €310. Or if you’re feeling bold, the entire set of seven bottlings for €2,170 via The Celtic Whiskey Shop – for absolutely no discount on the RRP, but less buggering around trying to find all of the bottles to complete the series.

Composed of single pot still whiskies aged between 13 and 26 years that were originally matured in ex-bourbon American oak casks before being married together and then filled into seven individual Irish oak cask sourced from Knockrath Forest in County Wicklow for two years of additional maturation. Available from earlier this year in selected markets (Ireland, UK, US, France and China) for an RRP of €310.

Composed of single pot still whiskies aged between 13 and 26 years that were originally matured in ex-bourbon American oak casks before being married together and then filled into seven individual Irish oak cask sourced from Knockrath Forest in County Wicklow for two years of additional maturation. Available from earlier this year in selected markets (Ireland, UK, US, France and China) for an RRP of €310.

Composed of single pot still whiskies aged between 13 and 26 years that were originally matured in ex-bourbon American oak casks before being married together and then filled into seven individual Irish oak cask sourced from Knockrath Forest in County Wicklow for two years of additional maturation. Available from earlier this year in selected markets (Ireland, UK, US, France and China) for an RRP of €310.

Composed of single pot still whiskies aged between 13 and 26 years that were originally matured in ex-bourbon American oak casks before being married together and then filled into seven individual Irish oak cask sourced from Knockrath Forest in County Wicklow for two years of additional maturation. Available from earlier this year in selected markets (Ireland, UK, US, France and China) for an RRP of €310.

Composed of single pot still whiskies aged between 13 and 26 years that were originally matured in ex-bourbon American oak casks before being married together and then filled into seven individual Irish oak cask sourced from Knockrath Forest in County Wicklow for two years of additional maturation. Available from earlier this year in selected markets (Ireland, UK, US, France and China) for an RRP of €310.

Composed of single pot still whiskies aged between 13 and 26 years that were originally matured in ex-bourbon American oak casks before being married together and then filled into seven individual Irish oak cask sourced from Knockrath Forest in County Wicklow for two years of additional maturation. Available from earlier this year in selected markets (Ireland, UK, US, France and China) for an RRP of €310.

Introduced in 2016, Redbreast Lustau Edition offers a sherry finished spin on the pot still favourite. Initially matured in American and European (about as non-specific as you can get) casks for between 9 and 12 years, this is finished in first fill sherry from Jerez-based Bodegas Lustau for an additional year. Bottled at a higher ABV than the entry 12 year old – but if you look around, often available at a similar pricepoint. Master of Malt will currently sort you a bottle out for £45.90.

Sit down. Get comfortable. You’re listening to me so you can relax. And because you’re relaxed you can feel comfortable. Comfort builds more relaxation so you can relax even more comfortably. And because you’re relaxing right now, you know you can feel even more comfort developing inside of you. Breathe. Take a moment to yourself. Close your eyes. Ready? I want you to put aside the limited editions. Forget the stampedes for the latest new and shiny things. Disregard the collection peacocking. Ignore the incessant need to justify your whisky self-worth on the Internet. Just relax. And remember that the beating heart of whisky isn’t the bottles – it is and always will be the people.

Not all that long ago whisky was a lot less of a loyal market than people supposed. Whilst at the blended end of the market parents and grandparents often tended to sup the same entry-point whisky night in, night out – the ‘premium’ segment of whisky has always been composed of more adventurous types. And adventure rarely equated to unequivocal allegiance back in the day. Devoted whisky enthusiasts – even those who today you’d describe as zealously loyal to particularly distilleries have always flitted between brands. But over the last twenty or so years, dedicated and formal marketing of whisky has come to the fore – and with it – the notion of drinker-led advocacy.

The entry point of Midleton’s Redbreast range is a triple distilled pot still (malted and unmalted barley) whiskey matured in a combination of ex-bourbon and Spanish ex-oloroso sherry casks and bottled at 40% ABV. It’s a very well-known expression – even outside of dedicate whisky enthusiast circles. And rightly so – its price-point puts it firmly into the profusion of gateway whiskies – many of which offer value, but little in the way of notable excitement. As of writing you’ll be able to pick this up from Master of Malt for £44.95.

Whilst I’d posit that every whisk(e)y has a natural strength where it shines the brightest, I’d also suggest that this ‘ideal’ % can vary greatly – through the type of cask that’s been utilised, to the ambient maturation conditions all the way to the personal tastes of the drinker. As enthusiasts most of us tend to gravitate towards higher ABVs – at least to the point where chill-filtration becomes a moot point – 46% and above. But that said, we’re far from the bulk of the overall market – many is the time when I’ve presented a higher strength dram to a colleague and found that their personal tastes have inclined towards the lower end of the alcoholic volume spectrum. Not everyone wants things bigger, stronger and faster - and certainly not all the time.

In 2002 Michell & Son relaunched their iconic Yellow Spot whiskey, previous available as part of a series of four pot still whiskeys with different ages marked with different coloured 'spots'. The bottling returned as a 12 year old, with an interesting marriage of casks: ex-bourbon, ex-sherry and ex-malaga wine cask. Malaga is a fortified Spanish wine made from Pedro Ximenze and Moscatel grapes - not commonly seen used in whiskey production. It was believed that the original Yellow Spot recipe also contained the use of these unusual Malaga wine casks, thus Michell & Son attempted to recreate, rather than reimagine the iconic Yellow Spot.

Where does the line lie between protecting tradition and limiting innovation? In the case of Irish pot still whiskey, tradition seems rather mired in the mists of time – there’s little historical evidence to provide a precise definition of what pot still actually is. The category is now offered some protection in the form of GI (Geographical Indication) status, but the specifics of the production methods (as detailed in the so-called Technical File) seem more in tune with current shape of the industry than they do with the past.

The second ‘rung’ in the Redbreast age statement range (which consists of 12,15,21 and a recently added 27 year old), the 15 year old is a triple distilled pot still whiskey matured in a combination of first fill and refill ex-bourbon and ex-sherry casks. Bottled at 46% ABV you’ll need to dig a little bit deeper than the 12 year old for this expression – around 50% deeper - £75.95 at The Whisky Exchange as of writing. The price bump over the gateway bottling is understandable – there needs to be some advancement to reach the dizzy heights of the rightly lauded 21 year old -  but nevertheless at this asking price, the bottling sits at the more expensive end for whiskies of this age.

Jameson Bow Street 18 year old Cask Strength is interestingly named – it could equally have been named ‘Distiller’s Walk’ as at least 17 of its 18 years of life have taken place at the Midleton Distillery in County Cork. However, there’s a nice piece of history and process taking place with this edition which earns it some uniqueness. Least of all, it’s an offering at a much higher ABV - perhaps this’ll help folks consider that there’s much more nuance to Irish whiskey than simply it’s ‘smoothness’.

Creating a blended whiskey is far from as simple as adding component X to component Y and giving it a good shake. Blends are the oil that keeps the wheels of the whiskey industry turning (responsible for more global sales than single malts several times over), but that doesn’t mean that blended whiskey need be boring bottom shelf glass filler. Far from it. The Dramble recently spent some time at Midleton Distillery in Cork with Blender Dave McCabe – discovering that his art has as much to do with safeguarding consistency and preserving longer term stock as it does with the whiskey equivalent of potions class.

Rarely 24 hours passes without some form of ‘World Day’ occurrence being in observation. Some promote awareness of pressing, timely subects, others social-political action. World Whisky Day is rather more focussed on first world issues – I.E. kicking back and drinking booze. And yet, there’s something more to be said about a global celebration of the water of life than just photos of charged glasses – whisky is still seen in many quarters as inaccessible, overly-masculine and to some increasingly elitist. Whilst events such as World Whisky Day look to make ‘whisky fun and enjoyable’ – doesn’t the industry and community have something of duty to leverage the heightened awareness from such a day for more than just product promotion and celebratory drinking?

W&A Gilbey was founded in 1857 as a gin distillery based in Dublin. Gilbey’s sourced distillates held on bond from various Dublin-based distilleries. This including liquid from Jameson’s Bow Street Distillery which was used to produce ‘John Jameson & Son’s Castle “JJ Liqueur” Whiskey 12 Years Old in 1903. Likely the forerunner of Redbreast, the first official use of this name did not occur until 1912 when it was used as a nickname from the then Gilbey’s chairman who was an enthusiastic birdwatcher. 

At some point, now almost lost to history in certain countries, whisky made the transition from being viewed as an old fashioned beverage to being that of a lifestyle purchase. As the middle classes started to desire something more than a comfortable living, annual holiday and reasonable priced family car, whisky production and particularly whisky promotion started to speak to what consumers wanted to become, not just what they felt they needed. The single malt, which at the time was synonymous with Scotch, became positioned not only as the pinnacle of whisky production, but as an lifestyle choice. The concept of aspirational whisky was born. And its steady drum beat has been with us ever since.

Everyone needs a break. Without dwelling on the year that was (there’s more then enough ‘year in review posts’ already written to depress yourself with) – 2020 was as close as I’ve ever come to feeling burnt out. A combination of taking on too many things at once, whilst simultaneously being unable to escape – often from my computer, let alone my house – makes for a situation where some ‘me time’ is certainly required. After 10 days of ‘cerebral maintenance’ (read: eating and drinking too much whilst largely off the grid) it’s time to get back to it. And in a similar vein, today is likely the day that most distilleries and bottlers put down the chocolate boxes and TV remotes and make vain attempts to get back into their now ill-fitting clothes.

Japanese oak - quercus mongolia – mizunara – all one and the same thing. This type of wood is indigenous to Japan, but also grows in China, Korea and (perhaps unsurprisingly given the name) Mongolia. Shorter and less tightly grained than American oak (quercus alba), mizunara is both expensive and sought after. It is expensive because of its somewhat limited supply – it is sought after, not only for its uses within the Japanese whisky industry, but also for its proprieties as a high-quality material for furniture construction. In Japan, mizunara oak is not simply purchased, ready for coopering, it is auctioned – whisky houses and furniture producers all bidding against each other to purchase this valuable resource.

Widening a beloved whisky series is fraught with danger. Whilst it’s always tempting to try to fulfil bubbling demand, there’s always a risk that if it’s not done correctly that it taints the existing range. Similarly, though the last few years have seemed ripe for expansionary tendencies – the introduction of any new core bottling needs to consider whether this release will supplement or pirate existing sales. A bottling which is viewed (and/or positioned) as a strictly better proposition has the potential to syphon sales from bottles which are both above and below it within a pre-existing range. Equally a bottling which has been created just because of burgeoning demand and nothing else can often just muddy the already often murky consumer choice waters.

Like buses, you wait decades for another Spot whiskey and then three come along in the space of three years. The whisky world is packed to the rafters with series, selections and collections. These often follow the Fast & Furious model of leveraging a pre-existing audience with ‘more of the same, but different’ – retain the lead actors, add some new faces, change the location and then slap a new number on the front. Job done. But irrespective of whether entertainment or booze the idea of replication and repetition holds just as may pitfalls as it does potential blessings.