BRAND NEW! Midleton Very Rare Chestnut Cask - Is It Worth It?

Is the BRAND NEW Midleton Very Rare Chestnut Cask a good whiskey? Let's find out! Massive thanks to the Midleton team for inviting me along to the launch event and even more of a thanks for answering all my nerdy questions! The new release is a worldfirst whiskey, finished in Irish sweet chestnut hogshead casks crafted from wood sourced at the historic Cappoquin Estate. It is the inaugural release in the Rare Wood Collection, which means we will likely see future releases in this series, highlighting "how unconventional woods can shape extraordinary Irish whiskey.” The liquid is almost like a much-upgraded Barry Crockett Legacy as it uses only Pot Still, being made up of all three styles of Midleton Pot Still: Light, Medium and Traditional. The whiskey initially spent between 12 and 19 years in ex-bourbon casks before being transferred to the Irish sweet chestnut casks for 5 extra years, so the whiskey is between 17-24 years old. Chestnut, as a wood type is more porous than traditional oak, meaning more interaction between the spirit and the cask. This also means the angel’s share is significantly higher, with around 29% lost over the five-year period! But it was all worth it as it was densely sweet on the nose, with honey, toffee, caramel, butterscotch, sweet creamy vanilla, and a backbone of nuttiness and darker wood spice. There was some cocoa, but combined with the creamy character, it reminded me of a high cocoa milk chocolate. The more I sat with it, I also got some citrus and red apple. On the palate, it was again sweet, with chocolate, butterscotch and orchard fruits. The pot still spice made an appearance, with some cracked black pepper alongside the slightly nutty, creamy oak. The ABV was really well incorporated, it's cask strength of 56.1%ABV, but you wouldn't guess it. The more I sipped it the more the pot still spices and sweet, nutty wood continued to build, leaving those as the strongest flavours on the finish. All in all, this may have been the best whiskey I've tasted this year, and it bodes well for future releases in the series! ------------------------------------------------------- I'm a total whiskey nerd and this channel is all about Whiskey, Whisky, Bourbon, Rye, Pot Still Whiskey and Single Malt Whiskey. I'm always on the hunt for the best whiskey and love making whiskey review videos. My passion is for Irish whiskey, but I'm open to looking for the best Bourbon or the best scotch too! I'm an Irishman, but that doesn't stop me from enjoying whiskeys from all around the world, from Kentucky bourbon to Japanese single malts. I also love making cocktails, especially whiskey cocktails (or whisky cocktails) and really enjoy taking a classic recipe and adding my own twist to it, or making simple, 3 ingredient cocktails Make sure to subscribe for reviews every Wednesday and cocktail recipes every Friday! https://www.youtube.com/channel/TheWhiskeyNerd?sub_confirmation=1 If you want, you can also check out my instagram at: https://www.instagram.com/the.whiskey.nerd/ #Whiskey #Midleton #IrishWhiskey 0:00 - Intro 0:35 - Video Info 1:34 - Midleton Very Rare 3:26 - Launch Event 4:44 - Midleton Very Rare Barry Crockett 5:27 - Midleton Very Rare Chestnut Cask 7:27 - Tasting Notes 9:54 - Is It Worth It?