Midleton Very Rare has been the prestige bottling from Irish Distillers since Barry Crockett first selected casks for the range back in 1984. Each vintage release represents a snapshot of the distillery's stock at a given moment — a master blender's statement of intent. The 2022 release, bottled at 33 years old, draws from some of the oldest whiskey Midleton has ever put into a bottle at this price point, and at £325, it sits in that interesting territory between accessible luxury and serious collector territory.
What strikes me most about this bottling is the sheer confidence of releasing a 33-year-old Irish whiskey at 40% ABV. There's a school of thought — one I generally subscribe to — that whiskey of this age deserves cask strength treatment. But Midleton has always played its own game with the Very Rare series, and the consistency of the programme is part of the appeal. You're not buying a single cask experiment. You're buying the house style at its most refined.
Tasting Notes
At 33 years old, you can reasonably expect the kind of depth that only serious oak maturation delivers. Midleton works with a combination of bourbon and sherry casks, and at this age the wood influence will be substantial — though Irish pot still and grain whiskey tends to carry that integration more gracefully than some Scotch equivalents. The grain component here should lend a silky, almost honeyed quality that keeps things approachable despite the age. This is a whiskey built for contemplation rather than analysis.
The Verdict
At 8.3 out of 10, this is a very good whiskey that narrowly misses greatness for me, and the reason is straightforward: I want more power. A 33-year-old whiskey bottled at 46% or higher would likely push this into exceptional territory. That said, what Midleton delivers here is remarkably polished. The age alone makes this a rare proposition — very few Irish distilleries have stock of this maturity available, and Midleton's track record with the Very Rare programme means you're getting a carefully curated selection rather than a barrel scraping exercise.
The £325 price tag is significant but not unreasonable for what you're getting. Compare it to 30-plus-year-old single malts from Scotland and you'll find similar or higher prices for comparable age statements, often without the pedigree of a programme that has been running for nearly four decades. For collectors of the Very Rare series, the 2022 vintage is essential. For newcomers, it's a statement of what Irish whiskey can achieve when given the time and resources.
Best Served
Neat, in a Glencairn or tulip glass, at room temperature. Give it fifteen minutes to open after pouring — whiskey of this age and at 40% ABV needs the air to express itself fully. A few drops of water are unnecessary here; the bottling strength is already gentle enough to let everything through. This is an after-dinner whiskey, the kind you pour when the conversation has settled into something worth having.
