Redbreast 15 Year Old

This afternoon at the office, I poured my second of three Irish whiskies I'll be reviewing over the next couple of days. I've always wanted to try this one, as I had never had a pure pot still Irish whiskey before.

I'm sure glad I did! It's colour is a light honey colour, somewhat oily in the glass. Nose is an amazingly subtle mix of toffee, lemon meringue, nutmeg, tropical fruit and also apples, vanilla, and plum pudding. The more I inhale, the more fruits come through.

In the mouth it turns into Christmas cake with candied cherries, but there is some heat on the tip of the tongue that overpowers it a little, and water does little to tame that down. Oaky but not overpoweringly so. More spices (cloves) and malty notes in the mouth. Oily mouthfeel, which I really like.

The finish is long and hot, and a little metallic. Nicely balanced between the smoothness of triple distillation and the rawness of a pot still. Puts it somewhere between an Irish blend and a single malt Scotch - but it is unmistakably Irish. I really enjoy this and am very eager to try the 12 year old. This was a big hit in the office as well!

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