Midleton Dair Ghaelach Bluebell Forest Tree No. 6
Midleton · Midleton Distillery
The Dair Ghaelach series represents Midleton's most ambitious exploration of terroir in Irish whiskey. The Bluebell Forest edition demonstrates how native Irish oak — sessile oak harvested from a single estate — can completely reshape a mature pot still whiskey. This is Irish whiskey pushing its own boundaries.
Nose
Lush orchard fruit and raw honeycomb open the glass, followed by toasted hazelnut and gentle vanilla. The native Irish oak contributes something entirely unique — a spicy, almost eucalyptus-like woody character that standard bourbon barrels never achieve. Faint rosewater adds elegance.
Palate
Viscous and commanding at cask strength. The pot still spice is front and center — clove, white pepper, baking spice — wrapped in rich butterscotch and dried fruit. The virgin Irish oak imparts a tannic, woody grip that gives the whiskey remarkable structure, while the underlying creaminess of the Midleton distillate keeps everything in check.
Finish
Long and drying with persistent clove spice, toasted wood, and a lingering honey sweetness that refuses to fade.
- Distillation
- Triple distilled in copper pot stills
- Maturation
- Aged in ex-bourbon barrels, finished in virgin Irish oak from Bluebell Forest
- Single Pot Still
- No
- Chill-Filtered
- Non-chill filtered
Food Pairing
The whiskey's honey richness and clove spice complement the rendered fat of seared duck breast, while a wild honey glaze echoes the native oak's tannic, aromatic grip.
Finished in virgin Irish oak casks crafted from sessile oaks felled in the Bluebell Forest on the Ballaghtobin Estate in County Kilkenny, this whiskey is Midleton's attempt to root Irish whiskey in Irish wood.
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