BILLY LEIGHTON’S REDBREAST DREAM CASK – An Exclusive Tasting Of A Rare Dram!

#RedbreastDreamCask – ready to rock!

Last Saturday I had the good fortune to be part of Redbreast Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey’s www.facebook.com/RedbreastSinglePotStill, a Facebook LIVE tasting of a rare and exclusive Redbreast Irish whiskey to celebrate World Whisky Day 2017.

Head Blender Billy Leighton had hand-selected a Redbreast single cask and Billy then led the 20-minute tasting with Redbreast Apprentice Blender Dave McCabe, from warehouse A1 in the grounds of the Midleton Distillery, to a global audience of whiskey fans.

#RedbreastDreamCask is a single cask single pot still Irish whiskey that offers a unique take on Redbreast’s full bodied flavour profile, renowned for its signature Christmas cake character – the result of a strong contribution from Oloroso sherry casks.

A surprise was in store for us all!

Leighton and McCabe took whiskey fans on a whistle-stop journey through the history of Redbreast and shared the qualities that make the range the definitive example of single pot still whiskey from Ireland.

Finally, Billy let us know exactly what we would be tasting. The dram we were to sample was drawn from Cask 41207 with a final 46.7% ABV. This olorosso sherry cask is a recask from 2011.

Before that it spent 25 years in re-fill ex-bourbon barrel making this dram just over 31 years old!

So, what did I think? Here are my tasting notes …

Tasting Notes – Redbreast Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey – 31 Years Old (46.7%)

Colour: Beautiful, rich, mahogany colour with glorious depth.

Nose: Blood oranges, rich dark fruits, blackcurrant.

Palate: Succuluent dark fruits, blackcurrants and blood orange abounds. Vanilla caramel adds a creamy accompaniment.

Finish: Black coffee, fresh pepper and very, very long!

Overall: This is a rich feast of flavours! The nose is exceptional and promises very great things. The taste does not disappoint, it is intense and satisfying. A rare treat and my tastebuds have rarely been so spoiled!

Redbreast is available to buy from these Whisky Merchants:-