Midleton Rare Woods Collection - Chestnut Edition Very Rare Irish Whiskey

Midleton Very Rare Irish Chestnut Edition is a remarkable world-first Irish whiskey, created using Irish sweet chestnut hogshead casks made from trees grown at the historic Cappoquin Estate on the banks of the River Blackwater in County Waterford.

The release is the result of an eight-year exploration led by Master Distiller Kevin O’Gorman, working with Midleton’s forestry, maturation and cooperage specialists to investigate the potential of native Irish sweet chestnut in whiskey maturation. Six carefully selected trees from the estate were harvested, with the timber air-dried for two years before being coopered into hogsheads and given a light toasting.

The whiskey brings together light, medium and heavy styles of single pot still Irish whiskey, initially matured for between 12 and 19 years in American oak bourbon barrels. The selected whiskey was then transferred into the specially made Irish sweet chestnut hogsheads for a further four years of finishing, with its development monitored and tasted monthly until the chestnut influence had reached the desired balance.

The result is a rich, distinctive expression combining indulgent caramel sweetness with earthy, characterful wood notes while retaining Midleton's classic single pot still character. Bottled at cask strength and non-chill filtered, this highly unusual release represents one of Midleton's most ambitious experiments with Irish-grown wood.