Midleton Single Pot Still Virgin Oak Cask 83785

Still at The Palace Bar. Having my last dram before we go eat at a BBQ place that my wife and I would like to try.

Don’t worry, they have whiskey too. Just not as much. And I’ve decided that for my last couple whiskies in Ireland, I need to go big before I go home.

You know, that old saying that I didn’t just totally massacre.

So while talking to whiskey expert at the bar, I found out that they had a bottle of Midleton Single Pot Still Virgin Oak Cask 83785, which was an exclusive through the Celtic Whiskey Shop, and that The Palace Bar has the last bottle of (from what I could find).

Also, according to rumors, this was the favourite of the local brand ambassador from Midleton. Local in this case meaning Ireland, not my normal local, Canada.

Which is insane that those two can be compared since we’re so much bigger (save for our penis’ size or cultural impact).

That’s pretty impressive though. From going around the city, I ran into quite a few single cask Midleton. This one is specifically aged in virgin oak casks alone. Which is pretty cool.

So let’s see if I agree with the guy who’s job it is to sell the brand, shall we?

Price: €300.00 at the Celtic Whiskey Shop, though all of them are sold, so… that sucks for you, I guess.

Region: Ireland

Cask Number: 83785

Cask Type: Virgin American oak

Date of Distilling: 20 November 2000

Aged in Warehouse: M01 Bay 022

Bottle No: 223 of 270

Abv: 46%

Colour: 5YR 5/8

Nose: Coconut pie, maple cereal, butterscotch, lime mineral water, Bounty bar, BBQ herb chicken

Wow. Wouldn’t have guessed this was 46% on blind. Big coconut notes that are properly developed, chocolate, butter, herbal, meaty…. It sounds like I’m rambling, but honestly this thing is just really, really complex.

And it doesn’t have flavours at odds with one another, like you’d assume. However this has them separated by that mineral water note that Scotch tries to do but doesn’t really do well and Irish whiskey does really, really well. Not to mention the full BBQ sauce has sweet elements which ties it in.

Taste: Coconut extract, buttered bread, peach, cinnamon pastry, caramelized apple, gingerbread, fig and light honey

Strong taste. Keeps up to the nose, is properly connected to it, and doesn’t throw you off. Lots of coconut, the yeast element has developed and merged with a buttery note, lots of “apple blossom” notes (the baked good, not the flower), and some floral and fruit elements that work together.

Basically it’s quite tasty, is what I’m saying. I somewhat wish the peach had better integrated, which should tell you I’m basically trying to nit pick here and it’s going to get a high score for me.

Finish: Korean pineapple cake, coconut freshly sliced and then roasted in your house, therefore being the one time everyone wants coconut, sweets, lime pie, key lime juice freshly squeezed, physically being in the Tropics, juniper, fireplace toast

Yeah, this finishes like being in the tropics. 100% tropical vacation. No jokes, no laughs, no taking a piss. It’s pure tropical heaven.

Also fireplace toast: That’s toast you’ve made over an open fire, because the power is out. It’s basically an uneven, slightly smoky bread flavour. I was informed that not many people know what that is.

I was raised by wolves, it would seem.

Conclusion: Wow. Best Irish I’ve ever had, hands down. And punches well above it’s weight (alcoholic volume, that is).

Where to start? The nose is coconut, butter, and a million more flavours that just keep coming. The taste is that of a freshly made fruit pastry that doesn’t burn your mouth. And it finishes in the tropics, which makes sense because it was 23 C everyday I was in Dublin.

It’s pure sex, in your mouth, without leaving a prize. Downsides? Well maybe you don’t like tropical notes, so that would be a downer. Also the finish, while quite nice, wasn’t super long, and the peach note in the taste seemed out of place.

Some people may find it too sweet on the nose as well. Beyond that, great dram. Must try, if you can.

91/100

World Whiskey review #246, Ireland review #64, Whiskey Network review #1066