This year, Midleton Very Rare released the final chapter in the Midleton Very Rare Silent Distillery Collection, the world’s oldest and rarest Irish whiskey collection.
Midleton Very Rare, renowned as the Pinnacle of Irish Whiskey, is produced in Midleton Distillery, Co. Cork, Ireland and the Midleton Very Rare Silent Distillery Collection is a collection of six releases, representing the very last drops from the iconic Old Midleton Distillery.
A ‘silent’ distillery is one that has closed its doors and been lost to ages past, achieving almost mythical status. A traditional distillery, Old Midleton was famous throughout the world for Irish whiskey, but when it closed its doors for the last time in 1975, it became an iconic part of Irish distilling legend.
With a handful of barrels from the legendary Old Midleton still in possession, today’s team of craftspeople chose to release its final whiskeys through six limited editions. First introduced in 2020 with a 45-year-old peated single malt, each subsequent and unique release has been unveiled annually. The collection has paved the way for new beginnings in the world of ultra-rare, luxury Irish whiskey, and culminated in April 2025 with an outstanding 50-year-old single pot still Irish whiskey to complete the collection and celebrate the 200th anniversary of Old Midleton.
With a whiskey journey 50 years in the making, the Midleton Very Rare Silent Distillery Collection Chapter Six unveils the last drops ever to emerge from the historic Old Midleton, now silent forever. As the oldest single pot still Irish whiskey ever released from Midleton Distillery, this extraordinary expression is a true taste of history, never to be repeated.
Originally distilled by Max Crockett, often considered the forefather of modern Irish whiskey, in the 1970s in what remains the world’s largest copper pot still, Chapter Six is a single pot still Irish whiskey, which combines the liquid from the last four barrels from Old Midleton Distillery. Aged in ex-bourbon American oak barrels and an Oloroso sherry cask, the liquid then married together in a bespoke cask made by Master Cooper, Ger Buckley. This complex cask combined wood from each of the previous chapter’s barrels and here it laid for six months to allow the final flavour profile to reach its peak before being ready to bottle.
The whiskey has been passed through generations of craftspeople at Midleton Distillery under the careful leadership of Master Distiller Emeritus Barry Crockett, Master Distiller Emeritus Brian Nation, and most recently, current Master Distiller Kevin O’Gorman, embodying 200 years of distilling traditions at Midleton Distillery.
The result is a rich and indulgent palette, led by decadent notes of dark fruits and malted barley, drizzled with forest honey and complemented by the earthy aromas of dried tobacco leaves and antique oak. By carefully managing the whiskey’s final maturation in the bespoke cask, the liquid achieves an elegant balance, offering a surprising vibrancy and freshness. This meticulous process creates a complex array of flavours that evoke five decades of perfect ageing, while ensuring the aged oak influence remains refined rather than overpowering. Midleton Very Rare Silent Distillery Collection Chapter Six is bottled at cask strength of 53%.
MidletonDistilleryCollection.com
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