Midleton Celebrates 40th Anniversary With Blend of Irish Whiskeys that Costs Over $20K

(Photo: Pernod Ricard)

Whisky Magazine reported on Wednesday that Midleton Very Rare is celebrating its 40th anniversary with a limited-edition blend of single-grain Irish whiskey featuring whiskey stocks up to 40 years old. The whiskey hosts a suggested retail price of £17,120 ($21,612).

The Very Rare 40th Anniversary Ruby Edition has an ABV of 53.1% and is available in the U.S., U.K., Ireland, Australia, Hong Kong, Persian Gulf, Belgium, Czech Republic, France, The Netherlands and at Global Travel Retail outlets.

Rubies are thematically intertwined with brand’s latest release, as these gemstones are often traditionally used to celebrate 40th wedding anniversaries.

“Rubies signify a 40th anniversary and are considered a gem of passion, something that feels so apt with the passion that shines through from the master distillers and all those involved in the creation of Midleton Very Rare,” Keane Jewellers’ Patrick Keane said, according to Whisky Magazine.

This release is a blend of whiskeys distilled under the stewardship of three different Midleton master distillers: Barry Crockett, Brian Nation and Kevin O’Gorman, who currently works at the Irish whiskey distillery. To celebrate the brand’s Ruby Anniversary, the whiskey was finished in a ruby port cask.

The whiskey brand tapped the Irish jeweler for a bespoke one-off bottle of featuring 32 rubies encrusted on its 18-karat gold neck. The offering will be available for purchase via an NFT auction on Blockbar. The auction begins with a starting bid of $60,000 and the proceeds will be donated to Forest Genetics Resources Trust.

The Pernod Ricard-owned Irish whiskey brand is no stranger to releasing pricey whiskeys. In April 2022, Midleton released an offering within its Silent Distillery Collection that was priced at $51,000. Some of its whiskeys are so rare they travel with police escorts.

“This exquisite release brings influence from all three master distillers and not only helps us to preserve the knowledge of Midleton Distillery’s past masters but builds upon it by evolving the art of distillation and maturation with the addition of the ruby port cask,” O’Gorman said, according to Whisky Magazine.

The non-gem-encrusted offerings of Midleton’s Very Rare 40th Anniversary Edition are housed in crystal decanters designed by Waterford. The decanters feature a crystal with four points, meant to serve as a nod to the four decades of the distillery’s lifespan. Each whiskey is housed within a ruby case and a distinctive wood cabinet.

Midleton describes the whiskey as possessing “soft floral” aromas with “sweet vanilla” and tree fruit. The addition of the ruby cask finish adds dark red fruit aromas to the final spirit.

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