And with more and more producers and bottlers coming on board, the sector is set for a new golden age. Rated 5.00 out of 5 based on 14 customer ratings (14 customer reviews) 249.99. Irish whiskey is once again on an upward curve, producing whiskey of real quality, versatility and consistency. Midleton Dair Ghaelach Bluebell Forest Irish Whiskey. Since the 1600s, generations of the Blunden family have watched over a stand of Irish oak trees, with a carpet of luminescent bluebells covering the forest floor.
This chapter of the Midleton Dair Ghaelach story takes us to Bluebell Forest, found among the historic stone walls of Castle Blunden Estate in County Kilkenny. Entrepreneur John Teeling saw an opportunity and broadened the spectrum further with a double-distilled malt, peated and unpeated, as well as single grain whiskey. About Midleton Dair Ghaelach bluebell Forest. In the 1970s, Powers, Jameson and Cork Distillers consolidated in a distillery in Midleton to produce the traditional pure pot still whiskey under the IDL flag, and Bushmills to the north joined the partnership with their triple-distilled malt. Thankfully, a few distilleries kept the flame alive. It was a far cry from the peak of Irish whiskey’s popularity in the Victorian era,when spirit flowed out of the country’s cities and towns on an industrial scale.Back then, it was the drink of choice of the British Empire and beyond. Bad luck, bad planning, American prohibition and independence from Britain conspired to close distillery after distillery after distillery. There’s something there for the connoisseur who likes characterful pot still and single malt whiskey and something too for those who prefer to mix it up with cocktails.Irish whiskey is an extraordinarily versatile spirit of consistently high quality.Īll this from a low point in the 1970s and 1980s, when the sector was a barren landscape, with only two distilleries operating on the island. It means that the shelves at the Celtic Whiskey Shop are heaving with whiskey brands. New distilleries are cropping up all over the landscape,new brands launched, new societies formed, new books published and new specialist bars opened as the world takes a renewed interest in Ireland’s native spirit. Exports of Ireland’s native spirit have surged 200% over the last decade, with Jameson leading the charge. But whiskey polishes the copper and is the saving of him." Mark Twain, Life On The Mississippi Irish whiskey, so long in the doldrums, is experiencing a real renaissance right now. An Irishman is lined with copper, and the beer corrodes it. The virgin Irish oak barrels used for finishing this whiskey were harvested from Bluebell Forest on Castle Blunden Estate, County Kilkenny.Īmazingly, each cask can be traced back to one of six individual 130 year old oak trees from the forrest."Give an Irishman lager for a month, and he's a dead man. Every bottle can be traced back to one of the six trees felled, each adding slightly different character to the story of Irish oak. Part of the Dair Ghaelach range from Midleton. Midleton Dair Ghaelach 'Bluebell Forest Tree No 3' Virgin Irish Oak Finished Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey (750ml) SKU 1253180 94 points Wine Enthusiast Made with a range of 15- to 22-year-old whiskies, this big, flavorful bottling will remind some of bourbon. This exceptional whiskey from Bluebell Forest, finished in home grown Irish oak, is building off the acclaim of our first Midleton Dair Ghaelach release from Grinsell’s Wood. Midleton opened in 1975 and was the only distillery in Ireland until Cooley was built in 1987. In order to streamline its operations, the company shut both distilleries down, building a bespoke new facility next-door to its Old Midleton distillery in Cork, which was shut down as well. Irish Distillers pushed Jameson as the face of the company, but its historic Bow Street home had no column still to produce grain, meaning this component had to be produced at Power's John's Lane distillery. Necessitated primarily by a need to capitalise on a much-expanded export market, the move also saw a change in the whiskey behind the brand names, favouring blended Irish whiskies over the traditional single pot still style. The formation of the Irish Distillers group in 1966, an amalgamation of Jameson, Powers and Cork Distillers, was the beginning of a sea change in the landscape of Irish whiskey. Midleton Dair Ghaelach Bluebell Forest Tree No.1-6 75cl / US Import