Redbreast 27 Year

Nose - guava, pineapple, mango, passion fruit, powdered sugar, ginger, mint, allspice, raspberry, nutmeg, strawberry jam, prepared caramel, vanilla bean, spicy oak, moderate ethanol burn. Taste - guava, strawberry, cherry, spearmint, ginger, cardamom, mango, pineapple, chili pepper, raspberry, grapefruit zest, sparkling apple cider, wine, allspice, clove, plum, spicy oak, moderate to high alcohol bite, finishing medium length with tart tropical fruit, spearmint, and bitter citrus flavors. This remains the single most expensive bottle I’ve ever purchased. I’ve waited a long time to review this one, mostly because I didn’t really like it when I cracked the bottle a year ago and wanted to give it some time to breathe. Well it’s had enough time, so let’s see if I’ve changed my mind. The nose leads with an explosion of tropical fruits, some of which I’ve never detected previously in a spirit. Past that, it’s jammy, minty, and a bit spicy with dense oak providing a strong backbone. The palate brings the tropical fruit, but the spicy, minty flavors are highlighted more than on the nose. There’s also a citrus hit alongside the strong oak presence that borders on tannic, but doesn’t quite get all the way there. So here comes the controversial opinion. I think this is beautifully crafted whisky, but I just don’t love it. And when I spend almost $500 on a bottle, I really want to love it. I’m having difficulty placing specifically what it is that I don’t like. Something about the combination of tropical fruits and spicy, oaky bitterness seems cacophonous. Back when I had a bottle of the 12 Year Cask Strength, I did a side-by-side and preferred it over this one. I even added some water, and it changed but didn’t make a material difference for me. Who knows. Maybe I just don’t like nice things or need to try more to be able to fully appreciate what Redbreast has produced here. Either way, it’s great whisky but I can’t score it any higher than that for now.

Long awaited dram. Popped it open in celebration of buying a new home. Celebrated with the family we bought it from who blessed my fam immensely by giving us a big cut in cost. This was not a let down!!! Nose: The buttery honey biscuity goodness you expect from a single pot still is all there. It burns a bit more with the added proof, But atop all of that, there is this slight tropical citrusy smell that you get. Quick short whiffs get you closer to that nose. It’s like dehydrated mango cuts. Taste: oh man. Taste just like it smell. The tropical citrus mango note comes out and is more prominent on the palate. Pineapple and grapefruit. It’s what I notice first beyond the burn. As it sits, the bitter of the woods come out. Baking spice, and white pepper. The end leaves you a good combination of both. The tropical notes begin and end this dram which to me is something special. Even my wife is a big fan of this. Mouthfeel: it’s lighter than what I imagine,it starts out refreshing and light but midway through gives you a full mouthfeel due to the growing heat. The spice isn’t anything over the top but it’s the perfect amount. It’s like the difference between hot sauce you use just for heat and hot sauce that tastes good. There isn’t anything too extreme here just a good mildly oily dram that linger on the back of the throat. The bitterness and tropical taste remind me of having hot black coffee with fresh fruit for breakfast at a restaurant overlooking the Taal volcano in Batangas, Philippines. Brought my wife to meet my biological dad there and we were having breakfast with my aunt and uncle who drove us.

The nose begins with port notes shining through with tropical fruits of guava, passion fruit, kiwi, papaya then fades away revealing the bourbon barrel with sour cherries, baked apples, rich caramel corn before fading and tagging in the sherry barrel with chocolate covered raisins, grape must that transitions into a light spice along with barrel spices, leather and a light cedar note with light ethanol burn. The taste is a viscous mouthfeel beginning with those port notes of guava, passion fruit, kiwi, papaya, lychee fruit then fades away revealing the bourbon barrel with sour cherries, orange peel, baked cinnamon apples, rich caramel corn and toasted walnuts followed by the sherry barrel with chocolate covered raisins, grape must that transitions into a medium spice along with barrel spices, leather and a moderate cedar note with medium ethanol burn. The finish is long with guava, passion fruit, lychee fruit, watermelon jolly rancher, stewed cinnamon apples, sherry grape must, chocolate covered raisins, orange peel, a medium spice, candied ginger, leather and a cedar plank that lingers for minutes. Overall this is a phenomenal whiskey that rewards time and patience to really appreciate because if rushed you’d mainly find tropical fruits with a bit of spice, but as time passes the bourbon and sherry notes begin to reveal themselves as additional layers that flow harmoniously showcasing the artisan work in the complexity, depth and balance of this well aged older whiskey. A huge thank you to @ctbeck11, who was generous enough to provide me with a sample of this to review.

- The Redbreast line of whiskies first appeared circa 1912. They were the brainchild of W.A. Gilbey, a wine importer and whisky bonding agent founded in London in 1857 and expanding into Scotland and Ireland shortly thereafter. Gilbey’s abundant supply of ex-sherry transport casks were utilized to age distillate provided by Jamison‘s historic Bow Street Distillery in Dublin. Gilbey’s sold the Redbreast brand to Irish Distillers in 1986. Irish Distillers was formed in 1966 by a merger of Cork Distilleries Company, John Jameson and Son, and John Power and Son, and was then acquired in 1988 by wine and spirits giant, Pernod Ricard. Redbreast Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey is currently the world’s best selling in this category. “Single pot still” whiskey is unique to Ireland and must be produced with a minimum of 30% unmalted barley giving it its distinctive profile. This is unlike Scotland’s “single malt” whiskies which contains 100% malted barley. The “single” designation in both countries requires production at a single distillery. The Redbreast 27yo pictured debuted in 2019 and is now part of their core range. It has been triple distilled and matured in ex-bourbon, sherry, and ruby port casks. It rolls in, cask strength at 107.2 proof, and the packaging for this product is a cabinetmaker’s delight. Distributors have recently rumored the retail price to be doubling next year. Unfortunately, unless the distillery sends along a sample, this is the best I can do with this review, since I only plan to stare at mine for a few years. 🙂

Nose: cherries macerated in sherry, raisins in sherry, sherry, sherry, sherry! Dense smell, which fills and intoxicates (positively) the nostrils. Palate: it seems not to drink, but to eat it. Cherries specifically. Macerate in the sherry. But there are other well-defined flavors. For example, I hear coffee and milk chocolate, raisins, plums, and port, which is really felt with its fruity notes. Very balanced and dense. Long sherry finish, enveloping, it goes from a great sense of warmth to a refreshing, mint flavor. Nothing to say, spectacular. However, I must say that as I remember the 21yo, the latter was even better. But let's talk about a clash of the titans! Rating 5.00 _________________________________________________________________________ Naso: ciliegie macerate nello sherry, uvetta nello sherry, sherry, sherry, sherry! Odore denso, che riempie ed inebria le narici. Palato: sembra non di bere, ma di mangiare. Ciliegie nello specifico. Macerate nello sherry. Pero ci sono altri sapori ben delineati. Ad esempio sento caffè e cioccolato al latte, uva passa, prugne, ed il porto, che si sente davvero con le sue note fruttate. Molto equilibrato e denso. Finale lungo allo sherry, avvolgente, passa da un grande senso di calore ad essere rinfrescante, alla menta. Nulla da dire, spettacolare. Devo però dire che da come ricordo il 21yo, quest’ultimo era ancora più buono. Ma parliamo di uno scontro di titani! Voto 5,00

Reviewing a sample which I hate doing and worse yet a 1 oz sample but I wanted notes on this one as I'll be deciding on a purchase based on this. Nose - this is the most grapefruity grapefruit ever. Dry very fruit forward without sugar notes. You get notes of oak, light and sweet, with vanilla and then a bit of old grain whisky comes through.With time some dark fruits start to creep in and some tropical fruit notes as well. Taste - Up front it's sweet and bold, then grain whisky with RICH creamy vanilla, then turns to fruits (mango, pears, and all kinds of topical notes with a touch of grapefruit bitter), and then finishes with lightly toasted oaks and malts. This whisky seems to change 3 or 4 times while in my mouth, with transition after transition. I can't dare myself to add water to this as it drinks just perfectly as it. Creamy and just viscous enough. Alcohol waits to hit and even then it's gentle and inviting. So the elephant in the room is if I'd buy a bottle at say 550 which I know I can get it for. And....I think I'm passing. At 400, I'm getting one for sure. less than that and I'd have 2. It's such a good whisky but I don't think it does anything so well that I'm compelled to rush out and get one. But I still really want a bottle. If Irish is your jam, this is a must. If you're like me and a bit more agnostic towards Irish, if you find a deal buy, but otherwise try before you buy.