BeerNinjaEsq
Midleton Very Rare 2019
Blended — Ireland
Reviewed
August 22, 2020 (edited April 5, 2021)
Midleton Very Rare or Middling: Very Meh?
Tastes like the Blanton's of Irish Whiskey. Nothing to complain about, nothing to write home about.
Nose: Smells unbelievably light. Like, I can wet my nose and it doesn't burn my olfactories.
Flavor: Completely muted. Way too low proof. A bit like honey/honeysuckle syrup watered down with a touch of lemon grass and a hint of the tropical. No burn. One note throughout. Nothing in the finish to let you remember it by.
Waste of money, if you ask me.
25.0
USD
per
Pour
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@cascode agreed. People often describe and favour Irish blends as approachable and “smooth” as @BeerNinjaEsq says. If Irish blends are in your wheelhouse then this is one of the best imo.
@1901 Balanced softness is certainly the defining characteristic of this blend, and if that's not what one is looking for or expecting then this will be a disappointing dram. One man's subtle is all too easily another man's bland.
Good review. The signature of the Midleton VR is the balanced, mellow, sweet softness and I have to say I rated this highly for nailing that (especially in comparison to the previous two yearly releases). Even so, you are spot on that the value for your money is just not there.
@Soba45 That seems like a reasonable assessment and I would think that Middleton would be using some good casks. I've still found even some very old single grains to be on the harsh side though and lacking character of its own isn't something that I'd personally want in my whiskey.
@ContemplativeFox I think that comment is more around the fact that scottish grain whiskies were mass produced for blends not character. How good they are is usually due to the casks used not the spirit itself as it was often a relatively blank canvas. Middleton rare does contain single grain but also pot still from barley. I'd say the casks they would have used on the single grain would have been good ones.
@ContemplativeFox Agreed. This is a whiskey for people whose only qualifier of good whiskey is "smooth." We all know those people exist, but I'd rather demand more at this price
IIRC, @cascodeode said that single grains aren't that usually great until they're about 30 years old (sorry if I'm misattributing that statement, but I usually think of @cascode as the single grain guru). I'd hoped this was some awesome pot still whiskey they ranged from young to old mixed with some extra old single grain, but sadly that doesn't sound like the case. Pretty upsetting that they made something so bland, bottled it at such a low proof, and sold it for so much. Thanks for being the guinea pig.
@jonwilkinson7309 100%. I can't believe I paid $25 a pour for this forgettable whiskey
Middling: Very Meh - love it! I was similarly underwhelmed by this one. Inoffensive, but irreconcilable with the price point, IMO.