The second edition of the Midleton Very Rare Forêt de Tronçais series showcases Irish whiskey aged in French Tronçais oak casks
Midleton Very Rare has unveiled Edition 2 in its Forêt De Tronçais series. The collection, which launched its first edition in October 2023, showcases Irish whiskey aged in French Tronçais oak casks.
Made in collaboration with the French Taransaud cooperage, Midleton Very Rare Forêt de Tronçais Edition 2 is a blend of grain and single-pot still whiskeys. The whiskey includes spirits matured over decades from the 1980s to the early 2000s in American Bourbon barrels, which were married together and filled into casks made of five-year air-dried oak from the Forest of Tronçais. It was then aged for an additional four years.
“The second edition of Midleton Very Rare Forêt de Tronçais adds a new dimension to the foundation we have built; this time, we have increased the proportion of pot still whiskey whilst also increasing the refill-cask element,” says master distiller Kevin O’Gorman. “The numerous years of maturation allow the pot still distillate to express itself fully, giving it an extra layer of complexity that adds a wonderful stone fruitiness and soft clove spice on the nose, along with an abundant creaminess and mouth-watering taste experience. The influence of the T5 oak over four years takes this liquid to the next level, adding herbaceous and floral notes, along with flavors of caramel, toffee and cinnamon.”
The whiskey comes in a hand formed and hand finished glass bottle, which retains the distinctive duck egg blue of the Midleton Very Rare collection. The bottle is housed in a wooden cabinet built by third-generation woodworkers using Forêt de Tronçais oak, adorned with laser-cut details reflecting the story of the forest. The interior design of the cabinet utilizes a subtle representation of the actual wood grain.
“We are constantly innovating while staying true to the distinctive character and essence of Midleton Very Rare, and I am incredibly excited about the future of this collection,” adds O’Gorman.
Jacquelin de Pracomtal, vice president at Taransaud cooperage, shares: “We are incredibly proud to continue this collaboration with Midleton Distillery. Our shared dedication to craftsmanship and excellence is reflected in each cask, and this second edition showcases the extraordinary balance between the cask’s fine grain and the whiskey’s depth of flavor.”
Bottled at 48% ABV, Midleton Very Rare Forêt de Tronçais Edition 2 is available in select markets, including Ireland, Northern Ireland, the UK, Czech Republic, Benelux, Germany, Singapore and Global Travel Retail with an RRP of €5,000 ($5,280 USD). For more information, head over to the brand’s official website.
In April, Midleton Very Rare unveiled Chapter 5 in its Silent Distillery Collection, the oldest whiskey from the Irish Distillers owned brand.
