Not satisfied with releasing its first-ever 50-year-old Irish whiskey earlier this year, Midleton Very Rare has conjured up another first to mark the end of its 200th year, in the shape of a Mizunara cask-finished expression.
Mizunara (Japanese) oak comes with a fabled reputation. It is slow-growing, making it exceptionally rare. It’s thought there are as few as 1,000 Mizunara casks produced every year, the majority by Suntory Global Spirits. Everyone else, including Midleton Very Rare, must pay a premium to get their hands on one.
Some argue that Mizunara is just another premiumization technique, that its elusive nature is enough to justify a higher price alone. There’s even a market for Mizunara oak chips, which are known to be cynically thrown inside a barrel of aging spirit to give it some additional marketing appeal, if nothing else.
Midleton Very Rare’s 200th Anniversary Edition is a long way from that, thankfully. While the blend is made up primarily of bourbon-aged whiskey (four bourbon casks, first and second fill; one Mizunara), the single Mizunara cask has a distinct impact on the finished product.
Kevin O’Gorman, Midleton Very Rare’s master distiller, told The World of Fine Spirits: “The Mizunara oak brings a bold, aromatic dimension with notes of sandalwood, fresh wood spices and elevated tropical fruit characteristics such as pineapple, kiwi and lemon. These characteristics added a new dimension and complemented the underlying single pot still style beautifully, integrating with the vanilla, toffee and heather honey notes from the American oak.”
The release carries an age statement of 28 years, and the Mizunara cask only came into play for the final six, meaning as a percentage the influence is less than 5% of the total years in cask. Still, with its influence clearly detectable in the final product, we can only imagine what the release would have tasted like if sold as a single cask.
“Incredible”, O’Gorman said. “As a single cask, the Mizunara puncheon resulted in an outstanding whiskey in its own right, with a very aromatic nose of sandalwood, wood spices and tropical fruits, along with a distinctive taste profile.”
Alas, the cask was always destined to be a marriage of Irish and Japanese influence. O’Gorman said: “[It was] specifically for this commemorative release in order to create a whiskey that not only reflects the complexity and refinement of Midleton Very Rare but also celebrates two centuries of whiskey-making excellence and innovation.”
Limited to just 636 bottles at €1,500 (£1,220/US$1,760), we must also assume that the price of that single cask Mizunara would have also been incredible.
As a distillery exclusive, though, this release is reserved for the ones willing to make the journey to Cork. It was also made available at the Jameson Distillery Bow Street in Dublin, but the stock quickly sold out.
Want to know what our tasters thought? Head over to Tasting Notes to find out.
