The journey began in 2017 when just six carefully selected Irish sweet chestnut trees (Castanea sativa) were harvested from the carefully managed woodland of Cappoquin Estate, home to the Keane family since 1735. Overlooking the Blackwater Valley, the estate has been cared for and nurtured by generations of the same family, with each tree individually selected as part of the estate’s considered approach to woodland management. From there, the timber embarked on a remarkable journey. It was transformed into bespoke casks through a meticulous process of natural seasoning and traditional coopering in Spain, drawing upon centuries of internationally recognised cooperage and seasoning expertise. The casks then returned to Ireland, where a specially selected marriage of light, medium and heavy style Midleton Single Pot Still whiskeys, originally matured in first fill and refill bourbon barrels, were finished in the Irish sweet chestnut casks for a further five years. The result is the first whiskey in the world to be finished in casks crafted entirely from Irish sweet chestnut wood sourced from a single Irish estate, a category-first innovation that unites Midleton’s distilling expertise with a uniquely Irish provenance.

Irish sweet chestnut presented both opportunity and sacrifice. Naturally more porous than traditional oak, it encourages a greater interaction between spirit and cask while demanding significantly higher maturation losses. The resulting whiskey delivers remarkable depth and complexity, revealing rich layers of honey-drizzled red apple, caramelised orange peel, melted chocolate and toffee fudge, complemented by warming woodland spices and rich, nutty undertones, balanced by Midleton Very Rare’s signature elegance and a luxurious, lingering finish. A flavour profile shaped by Ireland’s land, climate and natural materials, one that cannot be replicated anywhere else.

Kevin O’Gorman, Master Distiller at Midleton Distillery, said: “Wood has always played an essential role in shaping the character of our whiskeys, but with Irish sweet chestnut we saw an opportunity to explore something entirely new. Moving beyond traditional oak, we wanted to understand how this exceptional wood could bring a new dimension to one of our finest whiskeys. That question set us on a journey of discovery spanning nearly a decade, resulting in the world’s first whiskey finished in casks crafted entirely from Irish sweet chestnut.

When we filled these casks, we couldn’t know exactly how Irish sweet chestnut would influence the whiskey, but what we discovered was something genuinely distinctive, a richness, texture and complexity unlike anything we’d experienced before. The Midleton Very Rare Irish Chestnut Edition is a whiskey that could only have come from Ireland, defined by its landscape, its craftspeople and the patience to allow nature and time to do their work. We’re proud that it becomes the inaugural expression in the Rare Wood Collection, which will continue to explore how exceptional woods can shape extraordinary Irish whiskey.”