2019 St. Patrick’s Day, I said fuck it, and cracked open this 2011 vintage of Midleton Very Rare. I have struggled with sulfur in this bottle for about a year and two-thirds of the bottle. The luxury I get: from the decadent Double Tree cookie crust, to the exotic tartness of fresh goji berries, to the silky mouthfeel. I mean for goodness sakes, it comes in a wood box and it says “very rare” right on the bottle. But Connor McGregar farted into my bottle. Then, with about one-third of the bottle left, I decided to compare all my 40% ABV whiskies side by side, fully expecting Scapa 16 to be the winner. But this Midleton Very Rare was the clear winner, and the sulfur note was gone. This whole experience has left me rather confused. These Midleton Very Rare’s are collectible, and the 2011 was selling for about $500 when I opened it, when I paid $175 for it. I have never opened a bottle of Midleton Very Rare before. It was a terrible disappointment to taste fart for most of the bottle, but now I feel like I will actually miss this when it’s gone. And I may, some day, try a Very Rare release again, even though the whole “very rare” moniker and lack of transparency by Midleton is as offputting as the sulfur. This just goes to show that your opinion of a bottle towards the end may be very different from your opinion at the uncorking. Without the sulfur, this experience is that of a masterful blend with a definite single pot still signature, which I will always associate with cookies. There is a full complement of spices, fruits, fat oils, and earth. The complexity is miles ahead of mainstream luxury competitors such as JW Blue or Chivas Ultis. Even Macallan’s own “rare cask” can fuck off compared to this. However, the new versions of Very Rare are now north of $200 (and psst, they ain’t rare); and, if you are going to spend dough to get your socks blown off by an Irish, I recommend spending just a little bit more for Redbreast 21. Score: * (unforgettably good… eventually) How much does a bottle cost: New releases are $175-230. These bottles will reliably increase in price after a few years on secondary, although I don’t know how many suckers actually pay the prices. The 2011 is >$500. How much do I think a bottle is worth?: $140. Now that I know to wait a year if there is sulfur for the sulfur to go away.