Midleton Very Rare Irish Whiskey 2018 Release

Released once a year since 1984. The 2018 edition of Ireland's most prestigious annual whiskey — a blend of the finest pot still and grain whiskeys from the Midleton Distillery in County Cork.

Midleton Very Rare is not a standard product. It is an annual curation — each year, Master Distiller Brian Nation (and before him, Barry Crockett) selects the finest individual casks from Midleton's extensive warehouses and assembles them into a blend that reflects the best the distillery produced in that vintage year. Every release is different. Every release is limited. And every release carries a numbered certificate of authenticity signed by the Master Distiller.

The 2018 edition is a benchmark example of what Midleton does at its best: satiny and potent on entry, genuinely complex at the midpalate with sweet grain, paraffin, salted butter, toffee, and honey, and sublimely elegant on the finish. It's a whiskey that rewards slow, attentive drinking — each sip reveals something the last one didn't.

Tasting Notes

• Appearance: Warm golden amber.
• Aroma: Honeyed grain, vanilla, dried fruit, and a delicate spice. Inviting and nuanced.
• Palate: Satiny entry — sweet grain, paraffin, salted butter, dry breakfast cereal, toffee, honey, and a subtle sherry note. The complexity builds across the palate.
• Finish: Sublimely elegant and long — sophisticated, refined, and deeply satisfying.

What Makes Midleton Very Rare Different

Midleton Distillery in County Cork is the home of Jameson, Redbreast, Green Spot, and several other Irish whiskey brands — it is arguably the most important single distillery site in Ireland. Midleton Very Rare is the distillery's annual reserve release: the casks that were too good to blend into the standard lineup, selected by the Master Distiller and bottled as a numbered vintage expression. Each bottle carries the year of release and the signature of the person who made the selection.

Specs

• Distillery: Midleton, County Cork, Ireland
• Style: Blended Irish Whiskey (pot still and grain)
• Master Distiller: Brian Nation
• Size: 750ml
• Release: 2018 Vintage
• Certification: Numbered, signed certificate of authenticity

Explore the full Midleton collection or browse all Irish whiskey at Wooden Cork.

Frequently Asked Questions

• How long has Midleton Very Rare been produced? Midleton Very Rare has been released annually since 1984, making it one of the longest-running prestige annual whiskey releases in the world. Each vintage year is a distinct expression — the 2018 will never be reproduced.
• What is Irish pot still whiskey? Irish pot still whiskey is a style unique to Ireland, made from a mash of malted and unmalted barley distilled in traditional copper pot stills. It produces a distinctively creamy, spicy character that differs from both Scotch single malt and standard grain whiskey. Midleton Very Rare blends this pot still spirit with aged grain whiskey for its signature profile.
• How does Midleton Very Rare compare to Redbreast or Green Spot? Redbreast and Green Spot are single pot still Irish whiskeys produced at Midleton — excellent, consistent expressions available year-round. Midleton Very Rare is a curated annual vintage blend of the distillery's finest casks across all styles, selected specifically because they exceeded what went into the standard lineup. It is Midleton's top tier.
• Is the 2018 Midleton Very Rare a good investment? Annual vintage releases from prestigious distilleries tend to appreciate as the specific vintage becomes unavailable. The 2018 is a finished, numbered release that cannot be restocked. That said, it is also a genuinely exceptional drinking whiskey — the choice between collecting and enjoying is a worthy dilemma.