1985 Midleton Very Rare Review

1985 Midleton Very Rare is the first year the Very Rare made an appearance. The brain child of Master Distiller Barry Crockett, the MIdleton Very Rare has been the leading premium release from the Midleton distillery until a few years ago when the Single Pot Still limited releases started hitting the market. Though when it comes to Irish blends it’s definitely still the top dog. Not much else to say so let’s dive right in to the 1985 Midleton Very Rare review!

1985 Midleton Very Rare Info

Region: Ireland

Distiller: Midleton
Mashbill: 100% Malted Barley
Cask: ex-Bourbon & ex-Sherry
Age: NAS
ABV: 40%

Price: NA – Auction, Specialty Store or Private Seller

1985 Midleton Very Rare Review

EYE
Honey

NOSE
Caramel, nuts, raw grain, musty, earthy, stale dry fruit, alcohol and a bitter note. It’s thinner and more alcohol heavy than I would have imagined with the kind of stock they might have had available.

PALATE
Grain, stale malt, nuts, musty, oily, dried fruit, alcohol and bitterness. Same on the palate, I would have imaged there would have been a plethora of well aged stuff to pull from but it tastes rather young and alcohol heavy.

FINISH
Medium fade of grain, malt, dried fruit, nuts, alcohol and bitterness.

BALANCE, BODY & FEEL
Not well balanced, medium body and a light watery feel.

OVERALL
To be honest… the original 1985 Midleton Very Rare is not that good. This isn’t as dialed in as later releases and comes across as grainy and alcohol heavy without any true depth or character in the aroma or the palate and it didn’t open up much over the course of the night either.

It’s really interesting to see where this release started, but unless you’re a completionist out to fill a set I wouldn’t worry about spending big bucks on this one. Take a pass and instead look towards later releases for picking up something special as they do get better down the road.

SCORE: 77-79/100 (C+, consumed at a tasting)