Dair Ghaelach. It means, quite simply, Irish oak. This whiskey has been matured in barrels made from virgin Irish oak grown in the Bluebell Forest on Castle Blunden Estate, Co. Kilkenny. The oak imparts this special whiskey with the true and unique flavour of Ireland.
The latest chapter of the Midleton Dair Ghaelach story takes us to Bluebell Forest, found among the historic stone walls of Castle Blunden Estate in County Kilkenny. Since the 1600s, generations of the Blunden family have watched over a stand of Irish oak trees, with a carpet of luminescent bluebells covering the forest floor. The carefully felled oak from these woods have imparted their character and nuances in a very unique and intrinsically Irish whiskey. 130 years old, the harvesting of these trees will allow the many remaining oak and newly planted saplings to grow tall and broad, encouraging regeneration and growth in the Bluebell Forest.