Redbreast 21 Year

Today was a rough one. Yesterday, my old college roommate came to town from Chicago, and since he's also a whisky fan, we decided to get a really good bottle of whisky to taste together. Enter the Redbreast 21. We decided to get an Airbnb in Philly and hang out like we used to do back when we studied in Rome, but first he came to my house for dinner where my wife made some of her delicious homemade pizzas, and naturally, while there we dipped into my whisky collection. We tasted Yellow Spot and Dark Silkie and Maker's 46 and Glenmorangie 14 as well as popping open the Redbreast Cask Strength 12. Then, after dinner, we Ubered to our destination and popped open the Redbreast 21 and stayed up late into the night comparing it to the Redbreast 12 CS. And oh, the whiskies were lovely, and the conversation was great, and by midnight, I was so unbelievably drunk that I might have known today was going to be terrible if I was thinking clearly. Man, I haven't had that much to drink in a long time, and the vast majority of today was filled with nausea. As for the Redbreast 21, this is among the finest whiskies I've ever tasted. The aroma is rich, fruity like a vanilla bean cake frosting laced with candied oranges. On the tongue the candy continues, but not in an overwrought way. There's stone fruit, peaches mainly, and honey, as well as butterscotch on the back end and candied ginger on the long lingering finish. The expert reviewer is absolutely correct in that this is so good that you're first impulse is to drink this quickly. The 12 Year Cask Strength is also great and full of flavor but this one really takes it up a notch. For as good as the Spots are, I also prefer these to those, not really sure if I can express why but it was clear when I threw the Yellow Spot into the mix that my preference was for the intensity of the 12 Year CS and the 21. At $300 a bottle, I doubt I'm ever going to pick this up again. It was an occasion bottle, an old friends who haven't seen each other in five years getting the band back together kind of bottle. It's a short reunion. Tomorrow night we've got a concert and he's heading out on Wednesday morning, and this was the perfect bottle for accompaniment. Now I'm a little curious as to what the 27 Year Redbreast tastes like, but that's priced a little beyond my range. Hell, this one is priced beyond my range as well, but it's a once in a while thing, so I'm going to raise the glass and take this final sip as a tribute to my buddy who brought it. I'd almost say it was worth the hangover, but the hangover was really awful and makes me wish I could go back to last night and caution myself to slow down. Eh, you live and learn, right? Although I probably should have learned that lesson 20 years ago.

I loved the 12, 12 CS, and 15. You'd imagine I'll enjoy this as well. Redbreast is always a winner--I expect nothing less of the 21. This is the oldest Irish I've ever owned and the second oldest whiskey overall. For context, this is the old-style silver packaging, meaning it's a bottling from at least a few years back. Let's check it out. Nose: Red apple, pineapple, mango, orange, honeydew, cantalope, pear, plum, and apricot. It's a fantastic mix of fruit, both tropical and orchard. Caramel, vanilla, and sugar cookie. Maple pecan. Brown sugar, toffee, and honey. Roasted nuts, some baking spices, and a heavy hit of oak. Phenomenal nose. Palate: Red apple, cranberry, raisin, date, fig, and pear. Plum and black cherry. Apricot and orange. Cola. Caramel, milk chocolate, vanilla, honey, shortbread cookie, toffee, and Cinnabon. Maple pecan. Roasted nuts: cashews, walnut, and almond. Awesome. Finish: Hits heavy for a 46%'er. The roasted nuts hit hard again. Apple, pear, apricot, and raisin. Caramel. Cinnamon, black pepper, clove, nutmeg, and oak spice carry this out to what makes for a moderate-long finish. Sometimes, when you find a distillery or a brand that you really enjoy, trying the higher end offerings leads to disappointment. This by far the most I've paid for any incarnation of Redbreast, and it is also by far the best. It's simply amazing at every turn. Not only is it the best of any Redbreast bottling, but it's the best Irish whiskey--and one of the best whiskies I've ever had. At $323, it'd be hard to justify the purchase without this review. Generally, I'd say this is too expensive for any bottle of whiskey. This, however, is not your average whiskey. It's absolutely one of a kind, and truly one of the best I've ever had. If it's in the budget, try this if you're a fan of whiskey in any form.

I’ve now passed my two week mark for my second vaccine shot and looks like this will be my 100th tasting, so time to open up something special to celebrate. The nose starts with a blast of sherry cask with chocolate covered raisins then the bourbon cask comes in with bourbon soaked cherries leading to tropical fruits of dehydrated mangoes, pineapple, peaches in syrup, shortbread cookies and vanilla gelato transitioning to spices of cinnamon, ginger, leather and old polished oak with light ethanol burn. The taste is a medium mouthfeel starting with the bourbon and sherry casks mixing together to create a cherry and grape caramel explosion that transitions to tropical fruits of mangos, papaya, pineapple, leading to powdered sugar coated bubble gum and vanilla pound cake finishing with ginger, cloves, the slightest hint of oak and light chili pepper spice. The finish is medium length with chocolate covered raisins, mangoes, pineapple, leather, vanilla gelato, shortbread cookies, ginger, cloves and medium chili pepper spice. This is a very complex old whisky that takes time to open up and slowly unveil all of the layers of flavors coming from the mix of those bourbon and sherry casks. Big thanks to @PBMichiganWolverine for the generous sample of this for me to be able to try.

Redbreast 21 sells for around $300. This is one of those still timeless expressions that both the novice drinker and the enthusiast will appreciate and is one of the few whiskies that I love as much today as when I started getting into whisky about 10 years ago. If you are still new to whiskies, and you are still trying to calibrate your palette, then probably try the Redbreast 12, and other less expensive whiskies as you go along. But, if you already know what you like, there is no need to have a “daily sipper” – you shouldn’t be drinking everyday – just buy the best good shit that you can afford, and there is no need to slum with the Redbreast 12’s, although that is a very respectable slum. Redbreast 21 is the pinnacle of that soft, velvety, creamy yet potent cookie dough, apple pie, tropical fruit, and dessert spices experience. 46% is perfect. I have finished a bottle of their 27-year-old cask strength expression, and that was interesting, but it’s not the right energy. If you want a cashmere sweater hug by candlelight, in an inebriating liquid that should in no way replace human contact, then Redbreast 21. Buy it. Buy it. If you can only afford one bottle a year. Buy it.

I've been putting this off for too long, finally seeing these now at 400 in the states, I grabbed one for about 220 in the UK. Nose - good lordy, I'm happy. This is a sherry finished joy to nose. Sherry gives off dark fruits almost tranistioning into grapges (which is my favorite note when I'm in a sherry finished product). Now I just realized I'm not sure if this is a blend of bourbon casks and sherry or finished, but whatever. Big huge grape and blue berries really are dominating over some tropical fruits (pineapple?) and this chocolate toasted malt thing that every irish gives me to some degree. In my Donald Rance voice, bloody good! Taste - Jammy dark fruits, huge spicy finish. Just a big big bold whisky at 46%. The mix of spice, lovely irish pot still, and up front sherry is lovely. It's long lasting. It lingers. I was thinking a 4.25 earlier today but right now this is drinking a bit lower. I'll have to come back but lets put this at a 4.0 for now. I think higher of this than that score so I expect I'll be raising the score.

This is an astounding whiskey, and lives up to the hype.  You should definitely find some to try. Nose: Sherry , Orange, cooked fruit, fruit, peach, baked bread , Cantaloupe, apple, apricot. Taste: continuation of flavors from nose, and Orange rind, moderate mouthfeel, berries, alcohol, spicy , smooth, delicate, sherry influence. Color: Beautiful light tan color Finish: long lasting finish, same flavors. Light smoke. Beautifully balanced. Very refined  In glass, cooked fruit, peach, spice, sherry, brown sugar, sweet. Vanilla and walnut. Cantaloupe, apple, apricot. Needs time in glass to open up. Purchased a bottle from fine drams in 2021 as a special treat.