Welcome to Inbox, our weekly round-up of whisky news and PR material that has found its way into our WFE email. Inbox features items from around the world of whisky and is published by us each Friday. Here is this week’s whisky news.
Old Forester
The Kentucky bourbon brand of Old Forester has celebrated Repeal Day with a special bottling. Repeal Day is December 5 and marks the end of the Prohibition era in the United States in 1933. The Old Forester Prohibition Era Still Proof is a nod to the fact that Old Forester was one of a handful of distilleries allowed to continue production. During the 13 -year period of Prohibition it was allowed to make medicinal alcohol only.
The limited edition whiskey forms part of the brand’s 117 Series. It is bottled at 65% ABV (130 Proof), which was the strength they were legally allowed to distil at to produce medicinal alcohol. It is available at the brand home on Whiskey Row in Louisville and in selected retailers throughout Kentucky. A bottle will cost US$65.
Midleton
The premium Irish whiskey brand of Midleton Very Rare has released a limited edition bottling to celebrate the Midleton distillery’s bicentennial. The Midleton Very Rare 200th Anniversary Edition concludes the year-long celebrations in southern Ireland. The bottling will be available in limited quantities at the Midleton Distillery Experience in Cork and at the Jameson Distillery Bow Street in Dublin.
The bottling is the first ever under the Very Rare name to feature part-maturation in Japanese oak, which is testament to the distillery’s long-standing commitment to innovation and craftsmanship. It is released as a 28 Years Old Irish single pot still whiskey and comes from just five hand-selected casks. One of these includes a six-year finish in Japanese Mizunara oak.
The new whiskey has been created by Kevin O’Gorman, the Master Distiller for the Midelton Very Rare range. The 200th Anniversary Edition is released at the natural cask strength of 54.7% ABV. There are just 636 bottles and each will cost €1,395/ £1,220.
