Midleton Dair Ghaelach Kylebeg Wood Tree 4

The fourth installment of the Midleton Dair Ghaelach series hails from Kylebeg Wood on the Ballykilcavan Estate, Stradbally, Co. Laois. Managed by the Walsh-Kemmis family since 1639, the estate’s native Irish woodland has been carefully preserved across thirteen generations. The eponymous “little wood,” planted in 1820 to replace trees used in Napoleonic shipbuilding, is now home to majestic oaks. Under the watchful eye of David Walsh-Kemmis, seven of these oaks were felled to produce the hogsheads for the latest Dair Ghaelach release, with the canopy opening allowing for new saplings to rise.

Part of a project dating back to 2008 uniting themes of biodiversity, sustainability, and traceability around Irish oak. Whiskeys matured for 13 to 25 years in first-fill and refill American oak bourbon barrels were finished in these lightly toasted Irish oak casks for 15 months, the open structure of the wood readily adding color and flavor to the single pot still whiskeys. Across the release, there is a spectrum of aromas but with a consistency of caramel, fruit, and toffee flavors on the palate, with subtle differences in sweetness and spice.