Midleton in County Cork is Ireland’s largest distillery. It was founded in 1825 by brothers James, Daniel and Jeremiah Murphy. In 1966, the groups Jameson, Powers, and Cork Distillers merged to form Irish Distillers. In 1975, the Powers and Jameson distilleries were closed and a new distillery opened next to Midleton to centralize and optimize production for the various brands. The old distillery then closed and Midleton became the only distillery in Ireland until Cooley opened two years later. The focus then turned to the Jameson blend, to the detriment of the single pot stills that have gradually come back into fashion in recent years.

Midleton Very Rare is an edition matured in bourbon casks for 12 to 25 years. This blend was the work of Jameson’’s master distiller Barry Crockett. Every bottle is numbered and signed by the master distiller. A new edition has been released every year since 1984. This is the 2004 edition. Pre-2000 editions contain whiskey from the Old Midleton distillery, which closed in 1975.