Master distiller Barry Crockett has Distillers’ whiskey named after him

MIDLETON master distiller Barry Crockett has been given the rare honour of having a bottle of whiskey named after him.

Newly launched by Irish Distillers Pernod Ricard as part of a new ‘Single Pot Still’ range of a connoisseur whiskeys, the Midleton Barry Crockett Legacy is a finely tuned modern homage to the Cork-based distillery’s now globally celebrated whiskeys, the most famous of which is Jameson.

Next month La Maison du Whiskey in Paris is devoting a week to the new single pot range, which includes Redbreast, Green Spot, the Powers John’s Lane Release and the Midleton Barry Crockett Legacy.

As master distiller, Barry Crockett’s signature appears on numerous whiskeys. He has been signing his name to the Midleton Rare since 1984, but this is the first time a whiskey has been named after him.

Head of distillery operations, Tommy Keane, said: “I think the last person given this honour was John Jameson. The fact that Barry’s name is on this single pot whiskey is very well earned. He has dedicated a lifetime to Midleton.”

“Barry Crockett is a celebrity in the global whiskey industry. The new single pot still range has been very well reviewed by food and drink magazines all over the world. And Barry must also take a lot of credit for the company’s decision to invest €100 million on a new distillery in Midleton, doubling our capacity in the next few years.”

An industry legend, Barry Crockett was born in the Distiller’s Cottage, on the grounds of the Midleton distillery. He has been working in the distilling business since the age of 17.

He learned his craft from his father Maxwell Crockett, succeeding him as master distiller in 1981. The Crocketts have dominated Irish distilling for more than 70 years.

Barry Crockett said: “We are re-establishing single pot still whiskeys, which were the style in the 1940s. There has been huge global interest in brands like Redbreast, and in the 12-and 15-year-old Green Spot.”