A D is one star and a D- one-half of a star. The virgin Irish oak barrels used for finishing this whiskey were harvested from Knockrath Forest. Knockrath Forest is the latest chapter of the Midleton Dair Ghaelach story. A C- is two stars.ĭ+ to D-: Below average whiskey. Midleton Dair Ghaelach Knockrath Forest Tree No.1 The first batch of the Dair Ghaelach Knockrath Forest range from Midleton. A B- is three stars.Ĭ+ to C-: Average whiskey. The best of the mass market whiskeys fit in this category, as do the bulk of the premium brands. Five stars.Ī-: A fine bottle of whiskey, representing the top end of the conventional, premium range.ī and B-: Good and above average. Above five stars.Ī: An outstanding bottle of whiskey, but lacking that special something which makes for a true masterpiece. A+: A masterpiece and one of the ten best whiskeys of its type. Some "premium" whiskeys really are quite terrible, while some mass market products are good enough to pour into a decanter and serve to the Duke of Edinburgh. The following indicators should be taken as only a guide and not a set of hard and fast rules. The Whiskey Reviewer uses a letter-based rating system, instead of the numerical 100-grade rating system. It stands as an excellent statement of both what one can do with old pot still whiskeys and with new Irish oak.ĭair Ghealach is expensive, but when you consider what it is, still reasonably priced at $250. Later equally large notes of tobacco and dry, spicy wood unroll, and it is this latter pair that carry over into the finish, a lingering, moderately warm thing.ĭair Ghealach is a whiskey with big, chest-out personality, but one that is also strutting its stuff with good balance too. Bottled Strength: 56.5 Bottle Size: 70cl Distillery Status: Operational product Details Midleton Dair Ghaelach Knockrath Forest Tree No.7 The first batch of the Dair Ghaelach Knockrath Forest range from Midleton. The liquid starts by packing big flavors, a sweet mixture of citrus, pineapple and banana, seasoned with honey, cloves, anise and vanilla. ![]() Once on the palate, the whiskey has a light, but still creamy texture. ![]() The nose is very aromatic and creamy, big and bold with candy and woody spices, plus orange zest, making it reminiscent of some of the heavier, citrus cordials I’ve had. The new oak finish starts to show right from the start, as soon as the whiskey hits the glass, with a coppery, middle amber look. Conceived by Billy Leighton and Kevin O’Gorman, Midleton’s Master Blender and Master of Maturation respectively, the whiskey is a noteworthy, super premium entry into the hot pot still class. It’s a cask strength whiskey to boot, bottled at 58.1% abv. The first batch, for example, comes from just 10 trees harvested out of Grinsell’s Wood on Ballaghtobin Estate, County Kilkenny. Gaelic for “Irish oak,” Dair Ghaelach is a marriage of ex-bourbon pot still whiskeys of between 15 and 22 years of age, which is then given a finish in new Irish oak hogsheads.ĭair Ghaelach and Irish coopering oak together are limited enough in nature that each bottle can traced back to a barrel made from a particular tree. Strictly speaking, New Midleton wasn’t the first distillery in modern times to try using new Irish oak in their whiskey, but they were the first to put a definitive stamp on it with their Dair Ghaelach.
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