Two Midleton Very Rare against Two Bushmills


June 22, 2026

Another of WF’s Improbable Sessions: Two Midleton Very Rare against Two Bushmills

I readily admit that it is indeed an unlikely idea, but the Midleton Very Rare releases bottled at 40% ABV have always left us somewhat disappointed because of their obvious lack of oomph, whereas very old official Bushmills bottlings have always been far scarcer. Still, it is worth remembering that both entities were for many years owned by Pernod Ricard through Irish Distillers, which was acquired in 1988. While Midleton remains part of the group, Bushmills was sold to Diageo in 2005. Diageo subsequently traded it away in exchange for tequila (that’s the condensed version of the story).

Midleton Very Rare 2003/2025 (58.3%, OB, Irish, Cask Circle, M&C Private Cask Selection, 1st fill bourbon, cask #20139)

At last, a Midleton Very Rare with a bit of backbone! Perhaps such examples already existed, but let us be honest, this is the first time we have encountered these particular batches... Colour: full gold. Nose: melon and peach straight away, followed by little oily herbs and banana skins, then freshly cut bark, clipped privet hedges and the like. With water: almost an entire forest of honeysuckle in full bloom, to the point of becoming nearly excessive on the floral front. Acacia blossom and elderflower as well. Mouth (neat): these Irish whiskies often seem to straddle the line between malt and rum, with masses of marshmallows and jelly babies, alongside a slightly syrupy, almost sugary character. Barley sugar too. With water: the arrival of slightly tarter fruits restores balance, kiwi fruit and gooseberries in particular, although the very sweet side and the rather light structure remain. Finish: fairly short, honeyed and syrupy. Comments: we are actually rather close to a grain whisky here. It is very good, certainly, but I must confess that I struggle a little with this profile. Redbreast anytime.
SGP:730 - 80 points.

Let’s give rum a try...

Midleton Very Rare 2001 (56.2%, OB, Irish, Cask Circle, M&C Private Cask Selection, 1st fill rum cask, cask #65877, 83 bottles, +/-2025)

We sampled quite a few attractive rum-cask Pure Pot Stills on site a few years ago. Colour: full gold. Nose: I find this considerably better, less simplistic, with a sprinkling of esters, dead leaves, patchouli and even rose petals and Turkish delight. Delicate hints of Gewurztraminer and meringues emerge as well. With water: a welcome touch of varnish appears, hurrah. Mouth (neat): it moves somewhat closer to the ex-bourbon version yet retains a number of secondary and even tertiary notes, while stepping away from the immense sweetness of its predecessor, notably thanks to the citrus fruits, particularly mandarins. Plenty of white nougat too. With water: sadly, it does not quite take off, truth be told. It remains very sweet, with coconut arriving to impose its authority a little. Even so, it remains more to our taste than the previous one. Finish: rather short, centred on an assortment of fruit liqueurs. That sweetness remains a little too much for me. Arancello. Comments: of course, this is entirely a matter of personal taste. It is very good whisky, but too soft and sweet for my palate, with a structure that feels somewhat lightweight. In short, again it remains far closer to grain whisky than to malt, although we know many friends positively adore this style.
SGP:730 - 81 points.

Well, we’ll try Very Rare again sometime around 2045. In the meantime, let’s move on to Northern Ireland... Though I fear this could be a complete bloodbath. We’re not talking politics, naturally!

Bushmills 34 yo 1991/2025 (46.2%, The Whisky Blues & Abyss, 1st fill bourbon barrel, cask #11534, 137 bottles)

Colour: gold. Nose: this is unfair, I should not have done this. The nose is wonderful, evoking an old Laville-Haut-Brion, full of courgette blossom, Muscat à Petits Grains, white gooseberries, Connolly shoe polish and freshly baked butter croissants. Right, let us not labour the point too much, lest we be overly cruel to those poor Midletons... Mouth: mangoes, passion fruits and pink grapefruits. I repeat... no, I shall not repeat myself. Finish: fairly long, displaying a quite astonishing citrus-driven freshness and temperament. Have we already mentioned the mangoes? Comments: what a beauty this is. If we really wanted to get to the bottom of it, one might imagine that Jo Hobbs crafted it by blending three quarters of his Lochside with one quarter of his Ben Nevis.
SGP:751 - 92 points.

Bushmills 33 yo 1991/2025 (49%, Whisky Pacific, 1st fill bourbon barrel, cask #11537, 183 bottles)

Pacific, I am not entirely sure, I would rather guess this one will be WAR (excuse my Trumpness). Colour: gold. Nose: naturally, it is close to the previous one, yet with a little more richness and beeswax. Then come the mangoes, very ripe apples, jujubes, yellow melons and guavas... Alongside these arrive the great white wines of south-west France, dry Sauternes, Jurançon, Irouléguy and Pacherenc, but also the finest Verdelhos and Verdejos from further south on the Iberian Peninsula... Careful now, this is eminently dangerous territory, as it suggests a drinkability index approaching the legal limit, if not exceeding it. Mouth: I give up, it is simply too good. There is an oily richness, the malt of course, and then this avalanche of exotic fruits, all delivered with impeccable elegance. In any case, the citrus fruits are keeping order throughout. Finish: long and beautifully taut, with an endless fruitiness that remains vibrant and exceptional to the very end. Clementines from the Mediterranean basin (now that is precise, S.!). Comments: we are on strike. We are French.
SGP:751 - 92 points.

At this point, we could just as well throw in a few Cooleys but let us not get carried away. We also have quite a number of other Bushmills waiting to be tasted, younger ones it has to be said, but for the sake of bringing things to a close, and in all modesty, of course, we would rather give Midleton another chance.

Redbreast 20 yo ‘Small Batch’ (60%, OB, The Whisky Exchange, third-fill oloroso sherry cask, 2026)

Third-fill oloroso? Now that is sheer genius, which comes as no surprise whatsoever from the sharp minds at TWE. One should remain cautious, however, it’s 60% vol... Colour: full gold. Nose: coconut is supposed to be vulgar, is it not? Yet remarkably, there is nothing vulgar about it here. Quite the opposite, in fact, as we are confronted with a magnificent piña colada of almost interstellar dimensions. At 60% vol, no less... With water: verbena! Mouth (neat): immensely powerful, slightly sweet, and built around a combination of melon liqueur and green Chartreuse. Truly. With water: those verbena and Chartreuse notes only grow stronger, although we could not really tell you where they come from. Probably not from the third-fill oloroso. Right. Finish: richer and oilier now, more medicinal too, drifting even more firmly towards herbal liqueurs, Arquebuse, absinthe and Chartreuse. Comments: there is something rather mysterious lurking behind this very... monastic Redbreast. Perhaps a discreet tribute to Saint Drostan.
SGP:671 - 87 points.

To sum up, we would not swap half a bottle of this Redbreast for a full case of Very Rare. The Mass is ended so to speak, go in peace.

Check the index of all Irish we've tasted