Redbreast 12 Year Old
The Commitments show in the taste
0 388
Review by @Rantavahti
- Nose24
- Taste22
- Finish20
- Balance22
- Overall88
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When thinking of Irish movies and Readbrest 12, The Commitments comes to my mind. Redbreast 12 years old is a product that has to be done with so much commitment, that it shows in the taste as well. I think this is a unique whiskey and a nice exception from other fruity whiskies. Actually I don't even know how to categorize this one. Is it a spicy or a fruity one? Never mind, it tastes brilliant.
Only thing that bothered me was the finish. I'm not saying it was bad. On the contrary, the taste of the finish was good. It should have just taken a bit longer. Not just for the pure pleasure it was giving but because of the long and warming nose and taste as well. It would've been a suitable continuum.
I think this is a holiday whiskey. I could imagine myself buying this for next Christmas dinner. This surely is not a Bloody Sunday whiskey (wow, another Irish movie reference!) but a great Sunday whiskey. Well done!
Nose: Sweet and very warming. Bit fruity with the smell of apples. Vanilla and ginger on the background.
Taste: Creamy/syrupy body with the warmth continuing to grow. This has warming spices in a gentle way. Great mix of cinnamon, pepper and vanilla.
Finish: I wish it had lasted longer, that's how good it was. with a bigger finish this would've definitely been over 90 points. It has a nice combination of warming spices and fruits though.
Balance: I can't explain it well enough but this has a unique taste. Though I've tasted only two different types, I'm starting to believe the claims that this is Ireland's best whiskey. Creamy and easy to drink.
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I had a bottle of Red Breast Cask Strength and honestly I can't see why it's supposed to be so good. The pepper and vanilla you mention were nearly non-existent in the cask strength version. I see the bottle you rated was a fairly low ABV at 40%. Maybe that's why it was better, but I bought the one Jim Murray recommended. Usually higher ABV makes the bottle more interesting to me in terms of flavor, at least with bourbon and scotch.
A bottle of Red Breast in Oregon costs $65. For $5 less, I could have bought a bottle of Booker's Small Batch Bourbon, one of the best bourbons available in the liquor stores here.
I would rate my Red Breast Cask Strength at about 58. I actually gave the last half of the bottle away, once I realized it wasn't going to improve that much. I just couldn't drink the stuff, even after two months had passed in the bottle with some air in there. And I didn't have the heart to mix it with soda water or ginger ale or something else to mask the flavor, since it was supposed to be so good.
Then again, I've never been much for Irish whiskies. I just don't see why people like the majority of Irish whiskies out there. Sure, you can buy extra special bottlings and agings and such from Irish distillers that are deliciously unique and fantastic, but most Irish whisky does very little for me. And I'm actually part Irish, so that's saying something since Ireland is a part of my heritage and I value that highly.