As The Beatles said, “I read the news today oh boy!”
and what was the headline?
“REDBREAST DREAM CASK FLIES OUT OF THE BIRDHOUSE IN JUST SIX HOURS!”
Yep, you heard it right …
Irish Distillers has confirmed that the limited edition, 32 Year Old Single Pot Still Irish whiskey, Redbreast Dream Cask, has sold out. Launched exclusively through The Redbreast Birdhouse, at 4.00pm on 19th May – World Whisky Day – all 816 bottles of Redbreast Dream Cask were sold by 10.30pm, at a rate of more than two bottles per minute.
Redbreast had very kindly sent me a sample pack so I could experience the launch on the day ‘at first taste’.
So, I was obviously gutted not to be there last Saturday as I somehow didn’t hear the postman and missed the parcel delivery! But anyways the package was re-delivered on Monday and what a package it was!
A quick refresher on the Redbreast Dream Cask 32 Year Old Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey:-
Redbreast Dream Cask is a limited edition, 32 Year Old single pot still Irish whiskey – a single cask that was hand-selected last year by Master Blender, Billy Leighton, as his favourite Redbreast whiskey. The cask was chosen for having the perfect balance of pot still, Spanish oak and sherry flavours, which can usually only be achieved through blending – bringing to life Redbreast’s signature sherry style.
The whiskey was originally unveiled during a Facebook LIVE tasting to mark Redbreast’s World Whisky Day 2017 celebrations. Participants and viewers praised the quality and rarity of what is now the oldest Redbreast Irish whiskey ever to go on sale, with many requesting that the whiskey be made available to buy.
In almost 40 years as a blender, Redbreast Dream Cask is a real highlight as I am able to select my own, personal dream Irish whiskey and share it with the world. Our inaugural tasting in 2017 was by far the largest whiskey tasting I have ever held, and the feedback we have received from the whiskey community on the liquid has been phenomenal, so it’s an honour to see it bottled to mark World Whisky Day 2018 – and watch this space for our 2019 plans.
– Billy Leighton: Redbreast Master Blender
The Redbreast Dream Cask represents the perfect contribution of flavours through a careful maturation journey rounded out by a particularly sublime sherry butt. The original date of bonding goes back to 31st October 1985, with single pot still Irish whiskey filled into re-fill American Oak ex-Bourbon barrels.
Then, on 8th March 2011, the whiskey was re-casked into a first-fill Oloroso Sherry-seasoned butt. The resulting whiskey was bottled without the use of chill-filtration at 46.5% ABV.
So, what did I think? Here are my tasting notes …
Redbreast Dream Cask 32 Year Old Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey (46.5%)
Colour: Glorious sherry colour – deep and vibrant. Nose: Rich fruits including fresh, crunchy, red apples and blackcurrant. Rich vanilla toffee, chocolate, orange and a little mint. Palate: Ditto the nose! Luscious mouthfeel, rich, sweet, vanilla toffee, red apples, chocolate. Finish: Dry finish with plenty of fiery pepper and that rich creamy toffee. Extremely well balanced. Overall: A beautiful dram. One of the best I’ve ever tasted and I’ve tasted quite a few! Glorious flavours, fantastic nosing. I’ll be a little sad when the last drops disappear but as they say, it’ll be “Gone But Not Forgotten!” |
Many thanks to Redbreast (@IrishDistillers) for an amazing sample pack and an amazing experience!
The Redbreast Birdhouse gives Irish whiskey fans exclusive access to limited edition releases, information on the Redbreast family, interviews from the Midleton Master Distillers and bespoke Redbreast gifting. Redbreast Dream Cask becomes the first in a new series of limited edition Redbreast Irish whiskeys planned for the coming years, that will be sold exclusively through The Redbreast Birdhouse.
Redbreast is available to buy from these Whisky Merchants:-