The Festival
Join Midleton Distillery Master Distiller, Kevin O’Gorman for an unprecedented Irish whiskey experience
Gormley's Pub, in Rocky River, Ohio is hosting its 3rd unparalleled Irish whiskey tasting experience. And as in the 2 previous tastings, this exclusive event includes the opportunity for a select few individuals to sample and enjoy the world’s first public tasting of another of the rarest, most sought after, and most expensive bottles of Irish whiskey ever to be created – the Midleton Very Rare Silent Distillery Chapter 4, a 48 year single pot still whiskey.
The Festival of Midleton Whiskeys is a two-day celebration of Irish whiskey which helps raise vital funds for Malachi House in Cleveland, Ohio, an organization that seeks to preserve human dignity for terminally ill individuals through the provision of food, shelter, clothing and comfort.
On Friday, March 1st, a never-before assembled lineup of many of the finest Midleton whiskeys will be sampled in a special event hosted by Kevin O'Gorman, the Master Distiller from Midleton Distillery and Barry Chandler, host of Stories & Sips.
On Saturday, March 2nd, a bottle of Midleton Very Rare Silent Distillery Chapter 4 will be opened, tasted, and enjoyed by a very fortunate group of 40 participants, moderated in-person by Kevin O'Gorman, the Master Distiller from Midleton Distillery, assisted by Irish whiskey expert Barry Chandler.
The first night's tasting will be held at Gormley's Pub in Rocky River. The second night's tasting will be conducted at the esteemed Clifton Club in Lakewood, Ohio.
Night One ~ Friday, March 1st, 2024, 7:00pm to 10:00pm
Night One Festival participants will gather at Gormley's Pub to enjoy an Irish whiskey experience like none ever previously offered. Led by Midleton Master Distiller Kevin O’Gorman, Master Distiller of Ireland’s most famous distillery, guests will enjoy pours of several stellar premium Irish whiskeys: Redbreast PX, Redbreast 21, Redbreast Lustau Edition, Blue Spot, Red Spot, Midleton Very Rare 2023
In addition to this first class line up of whiskeys, a fantastic Irish buffet will be offered as part of this event as well as live Irish music. A cash bar will also be available. Doors at the pub will open at 5pm. Attire for this event is coat and tie/semi-formal.
There will also be a chance to participate in a raffle for some amazing whiskey prizes and swag to raise additional vital funds for Malachi House.
We're sorry — the Night One event has SOLD OUT!
Proceeds from the Night 1 event will be donated to Malachi House.
Night Two ~ Saturday, March 2nd, 2024, 7:00pm to 10:00pm
It is a great honor for Gormley’s Pub to have the opportunity to offer the unparalleled Midleton Very Rare Silent Distillery Chapter Four Irish Whiskey, valued at over $50,000 per bottle, which will be sampled and savored by 40 very fortunate individuals. To make this gathering even more special, the man in charge overseeing the blending, maturation, and bottling of this fine whiskey, Master Distiller Kevin O'Gorman, will host this evening's proceedings.
At this prodigious event being held in intimate Members Dining Room at The Clifton Club, an exclusive group of forty participants will be treated to a sampling of 4 super-premium Midleton Distillery whiskeys including Midleton Very Rare Foret de Troncais (valued at $5,000/bottle), two special Cask Samples from the Midleton Distillery (priceless), and the exclusive 48-year-old Midleton Very Rare Silent Distillery Chapter Four (valued at $50,000/bottle). These spectacular whiskeys will be accompanied by a gourmet meal, specially created by the Clifton Club kitchen team.
This event will be hosted live and in-person by Midleton Master Distiller Kevin O’Gorman, assisted by Irish whiskey expert Barry Chandler. A cash bar will also be available. Formal attire is requested, i.e. suit and tie/evening wear.
Tickets for the Night Two Midleton Very Rare Silent Distillery Chapter 4 Tasting Event are $1945 per person inclusive of a processing fee and sales tax. Ticket sales have ended.
Proceeds from the Night 2 event will be donated to Malachi House.
The Fundraising Partner
The Malachi House
Malachi House was founded in 1988 through a pioneering effort to preserve human dignity for terminally ill individuals. The inspiration for the House came from the ministry of Fr. Paul Hritz and the St. Malachi Church parishioners who often encountered homeless individuals dying under bridges, in cars, deserted buildings and other unsuitable places within the city. Since 1988, Malachi House has served 2,522+ residents, served 478,880 meals, provided 280,320+ hours of 24/7 care, and coordinated 200,488+ volunteer hours. Learn more about Malachi House here.
In 2022, $70,000 was raised directly by Gormley's Pub via the Midleton Festival of Whiskeys. In total, directly and indirectly, Gormley's Pub and their partners have raised over $125,000 for the benefit of Malachi House.
The Showcase Whiskeys
Midleton Very Rare Forêt de Tronçais
Midleton Very Rare Forêt de Tronçais is a luxurious and special release defining the excellence that comes from the pinnacle of Irish whiskey meeting the pinnacle of French oak from the Forêt de Tronçais in France.
This release features a bespoke batch of very special Midleton single grain and single pot still whiskeys matured from the 1980s to 2000s in American bourbon barrels.
This blend was expertly selected and surveyed under the watchful eye of Midleton Very Rare Master Distiller Kevin O’Gorman and was finished for three years in a T5 cask from Taransaud Cooperage. This cask is as luxurious and rare as the whiskey that lay inside.
T5 casks are world-renowned due to the high degree of skill that is required to make them, and are carefully coopered from the striking and manicured oak of Tronçais forest. This oak produces a very fine-grain wood which is stringently selected and naturally seasoned in the open air for five years before being made into this specialty cask.
Midleton Very Rare Silent Distillery Chapter Four
While Old Midleton Distillery was famous throughout the world for its single pot still Irish whiskey, by the time the spirit for Midleton Very Rare Silent Distillery Collection Chapter Two was laid down in the early 1970s, single pot still Irish whiskey had almost disappeared as a category. It was the then Master Distiller Max Crockett’s unyielding dedication to the style and its enduring quality that paved the way for yet another chapter of this extraordinary release.
Emerging from the silence and created from the coming together of distillations that have matured to perfection over 48 years, Midleton Very Rare Silent Distillery Chapter 4 delivers something old and something new; a contemporary expression of a time-honored Irish whiskey, as unique as it is special.
Chapter Four has been decanted into a vessel sporting beautiful flowing lines refined by the specialist craftsmen and women of Ireland’s world famous House of Waterford. Finishing, etching and polishing by hand, their individual attention to detail means each decanter is subtly different but still exudes the artistry and brilliance that are synonymous with the Waterford name.
The bespoke cabinets for the fourth release in the Midleton Very Rare Silent Distillery collection were created by Master craftsman John Galvin who was inspired by the amazing things he sees in the earth. His ideas are forged through a connection with nature to produce a stunning home for the Chapter 4 bottle, which is detailed with sterling silver as well as oak reclaimed from Irish whiskey vats.
The Cast: People & Sponsors
Special Guest: The Master Distiller, Kevin O'Gorman
Having worked at Midleton Distillery since 1998, Master Distiller Kevin O’Gorman has amassed an immense amount of knowledge and expertise which leave him poised to drive the pursuit of excellence and innovation that has been exemplified by the entire team in Midleton for centuries. Kevin is only the fourth person in 75 years to hold the title of Master Distiller at Midleton Distillery. He describes becoming Master Distiller at Midleton Distillery as quite simply a privilege. Having held the role of Master of Maturation since 2007, he knows the warehouses of Midleton like the palm of his hand, and as the incumbent Master Distiller, this makes him uniquely qualified to oversee all of production at the distillery. After traveling to Cleveland for the opening and sharing of the Midleton Very Rare Silent Distillery Chapter 3 in 2022, Master Distiller Kevin O'Gorman is delighted to have the opportunity to return to the Ohio and preside over the 2024 Festival of Midleton Whiskeys.
Presenter: Irish Whiskey Ambassador, Barry Chandler
Irishman Barry Chandler has been entertaining and educating anyone who’ll listen (and even those who won’t) on the topic of his beloved Irish Whiskey for the best part of a decade
A three-time Whisky Magazine Icon of Whisky Award winner for his services spreading the story of Irish Whiskey, Barry connects interested whiskey drinkers with the people, places and pours of the world’s oldest, and original, whiskey.
Through his Irish Whiskey Club, Stories & Sips, Barry collaborates with small independent whiskey distilleries and brands across Ireland to bring unique single barrel releases to his community, hosts events where Club members can meet the people who make their favorite Irish whiskeys and arranges tasting events to try new and even unreleased whiskeys.
In 2023, Barry co-founded Irish Whiskey Experiences, a company dedicated to bringing people from the United States to Ireland to enjoy private, behind the scenes access to whiskey makers with rare experiences in exclusive settings unavailable to the general public.
If you let Barry talk about Irish Whiskey, he won’t stop until you take the microphone away from him, so be warned!
Host: Sean Gormley, Proprietor – Gormley's Pub
This two-day Festival of Whiskeys is made possible in large part by Sean Gormley, proprietor of Gormley's Pub in Rocky River, Ohio. In the nearly six years since its opening, Gormley's Pub has become the premier Irish pub in greater Cleveland offering patrons the freshest, best tasting pint of Guinness in the area, an exceptional collection of whiskeys, Irish and otherwise, and live music several nights each week. Sean is a native of Derry in Northern, Ireland and emigrated to the United States in 1993.
Sponsor: Southern Glazer's
Southern Glazer's, the world's preeminent distributor of beverage alcohol and a leader in corporate social responsibility, has made a substantial underwriting contribution to this year's Midleton Festival of Whiskeys.