Description
A very rare 1st bottling.
After a wildly successful debut at Whisky Live Paris in 2011, Redbreast 12 Year Old Cask Strength is finally here, boasting a shiny trophy as Whiskey Advocate’s Irish Whiskey of the Year. We adored it too. Already a legendary bottling.
This Redbreast is a “Pure Pot Still” Irish whiskey, matured in a combination of sherry and bourbon casks (probably more bourbon than sherry).
Gold
Irish Whiskey – Single Pot Still – 2014
International Wine & Spirit Competition
Tasting Notes
Nose: Offers up dried fruits, apple, and a hint of banana. However, to me at least, it’s wood-based scents that really hit you over the head. Cedar wood chips and heavy vanilla, primarily. The higher alcohol content seems to thrust the woody notes right down your nostrils. Add a little water and the vanilla turns more to butterscotch, This is a wildly complex nose.
Palate:This is where Redbreast 12 CS really shines. It starts out sweet and juicy, then those wood spices hit, gripping your tongue, aided by a drying sensation. What an amazing feeling in the mouth! The 57.5% isn’t overwhelming, either. It’s strong, but it feels right. Even more amazing, you can water it down a little and the spice and tingling stay there, further enforcing that it’s not just the alcohol content doing all of the work.
Finish; Brings back some of the dried fruit, which is nice, while introducing a combination of malt and grain. The grain lingers on the tongue as an after-taste.
Overall: Redbreast 12 Year Old Cask Strength is phenomenal. I’m an Irish whiskey fan through and through and not only is this a fantastic example of a truly lovely Single Pot Still Whiskey, but it’s delivered in all it’s glory at full cask strength, non-chill filtered and at natural colour. It’s hard to get better than this when it comes to Irish Whiskey. Sweet complex aroma and flavor all bundled up in a malty coppery single pot still character… why the hell am I still typing? I need to go pour myself another glass!
This is NOT just the standard Redbreast 12 year (which I often recommend to newbies as an “accessible” whisk(e)y”) cranked up to 11. I came back again and again for the unique, gripping experience experience on the palate. Also, if you’re in the mood for vanilla and wood on the nose,
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