Midleton Very Rare Vintage Release 2021

2021. 38th Edition. Midleton Very Rare — Ireland's most prestigious annual whiskey release, now in its 38th consecutive year, presenting a hand-selected blend of single pot still and single grain Irish whiskeys aged 12–35 years from the Midleton Distillery in County Cork.

Midleton Very Rare has been released annually since 1984 — one of the longest-running premium annual whiskey programs in the world. Each edition is individually numbered and signed by the Master Distiller, with the blend composition varying year to year based on the available aged stock that meets the standard. The 2021 vintage is the first release under Master Distiller Kevin O'Gorman, who succeeded Brian Nation (whose final vintage was 2020).

The current Wooden Cork Midleton collection spans four consecutive vintages: 2019, 2020, 2021, and the 2020 Dair Ghaelach expressions — allowing comparison across consecutive editions of Ireland's benchmark annual whiskey.

Specs

• Distillery: Midleton Distillery, County Cork, Ireland
• Style: Irish Whiskey — Blended Pot Still and Grain
• Release: 2021 — 38th annual vintage
• Master Distiller: Kevin O'Gorman (first vintage)
• Size: 700ml

Browse all Irish whiskey at Wooden Cork.

Frequently Asked Questions

• What makes the 2021 edition historically significant? It is Kevin O'Gorman's first vintage as Master Distiller, following Brian Nation's final 2020 selection. Transition vintages in long-running annual programs carry specific collector interest as they document the change in curatorial philosophy.
• How does Midleton Very Rare compare across vintages? Each vintage differs in the aged component selection and blend ratios based on available stock that year. The 2019, 2020, and 2021 editions together in the collection allow a three-vintage comparison of Ireland's most consistently prestige annual release.