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.

A 1996 edition of Midleton Very Rare containing whiskey distilled at Old Midleton. Midleton Very Rare was launched in 1984 and is matured in bourbon casks for 12 to 25 years. It is the work of Jameson’’s legendary master distiller Barry Crockett. Brian Nation followed in his footsteps upon his retirement in 2013. Each bottle is numbered and signed by the master distiller.