LCBO Food & Drink Spring 2018

SPIRITS  TASTING THE IRISH

MIDLETON BARRY CROCKETT LEGACY SINGLE POT STILL LCBO 446757, $309.95 MIDLETON VERY RARE LCBO 641589, $215.75 The Specialties

M E E T OU R TA S T E R JAMES CHATTO

Senior editor of Food & Drink since the magazine’s inception, James has the enviable job of writing about things he loves. Naturally easygoing—even concilia­ tory—he sometimes won­ ders how he ended up judg­ ing everything from cocktails to restaurants for a living.

Back in the day, when Midleton was the only distillery left in Eire, Barry Crockett created the Very Rare as a most superior blend of single-pot-still and grain whiskeys—a sort of ultra-Jameson, if you will. Our other Midleton whiskey honours Mr. Crockett’s 47 years as master distiller. Pure single-pot-still whiskey, it’s aged in bourbon barrels and partly in unseasoned, unused American oak.

What does that virgin wood impart to the Legacy? Plenty of oaky spice, to be sure, plus vanilla, coconut, caramel, butter­ scotch… “And plum blossom,” said Sean, though that was the only fruitiness we found. And it’s elegantly smooth, despite its strength at 46% alcohol by volume (ABV); any hint of a rough edge has long since disappeared. In the mouth, its something of a shape-shifter, starting out silky and light then growing creamier, while oak tannins loom up, fade away and then re­ turn for the long finish.     I remember the Very Rare from my visit to Midleton’s mighty distillery, just outside Cork. There were only 50 casks of it and it was bottled in individually numbered bottles when­ ever Barry Crockett deemed it to be “ready,” sometime be­ tween nine and 12 years old. It reminded me of Cognac at the time, with a hint of caramel corn and almond paste on the finish. This time the aromatics seemed more like bourbon, we all agreed, “with a fudgey feel,” added Shane. The light-bodied grain whiskeys in the blend contribute to the clean texture while the pot-still spirits add firmness and backbone. Don’t look for flirty fruit or floral notes; this whiskey almost demands to be taken seriously. “At the heart of every Irish whiskey, no matter what else the spirit has been through, you taste the grain .” James

38  FOOD & DRI NK SPRING 2018