...where distraction is the main attraction.

Friday, April 15, 2022

Redbreast 10 year old Limited Edition, 2021 batch

For those of you who are new to this site, please know that I am utterly, disgustingly smitten by Redbreast single pot still Irish whiskey. That's a warning.

Though the annual 12 year old Cask Strength seems to still exist, Midleton dropped another in a series of limited edition full-powered Redbreasts into the marketplace early last year. Most of the previous LEs were NAS, but this edition came with an actual age statement of 10 whole years. The whiskey was spun from bourbon and sherry casks (allegedly) between the ages of 10 and 15 years. Due to the batch's ABV, I doubt any underproof casks were involved here.

Brand: Redbreast
Country: Ireland
Distillery: Midleton
Style
: Single Pot Still
Age: minimum 10 years
Maturation: ex-bourbon and ex-Oloroso sherry casks
Outturn: 7,000 bottles
Release year: 2021
Alcohol by Volume: 59.1%
Chillfiltered? no
e150a? possibly not
(from a bottle split)

NEAT

A very pretty nose. First up: fresh cherries, white peaches, flower blossoms and a mango custard. Then: honey, orange zest and Big League Chew. Hints of clove linger in the background. The palate's sweetness and fruitiness is balanced by some malty heft and raw nuts (walnuts and almonds). But yeah there's apricot jam, limes and guava. Honey and cayenne pepper. And that is exactly how it finishes as well.

DILUTED to ~46%abv, or 1¾ tsp per 30mL whiskey

The nose becomes more floral, yet not at all perfumey. There's also peach crumble, ginger and eucalyptus. Mango appears in the palate, along with the limes and honey. Hints of vanilla and toasted oak remain in the background. The sweetness recedes in the finish, as the raw nuts return and the fruit grows tarter.

WORDS WORDS WORDS

Oh the fruits, so many fruits. This gorgeous thing tops all four of those USA-exclusive Small Batches from 2019/2020, as well as most of the 12yo Cask Strengths. I prefer it neat, where there's less oak, more fruit, and the heat is just right. Folks who want more cask action should dilute it. Though I try not to encourage anyone to indulge in the still mostly-illegal-in-the-USA secondary market, I still did take a look at the bottle's price. And I sobbed.

Availability - Secondary market
Pricing - Don't look
Rating - 90