Redbreast 27 Year Old (Batch 4)
March 16, 2024
In honor of St Patrick’s Day I’m celebrating by adding an ‘E’ to my whisky and pouring a very unique spirit from the Emerald Isle itself. It’s the Redbreast 27 year old, produced by Irish Distillers at the New Midleton Distillery, located in the town of Midleton, in Southeastern County Cork, Ireland.
I should start by saying this is a fairly pricy whisky and not one that most people would be buying as an everyday drinker. So I’d like to give a shout out to my friend Robert for sharing the contents of this special bottle with me and making this review possible.
Redbreast produces a single pot still Irish whiskey. What does that mean? Well, it’s similar to a single malt whisky except that they don’t use just malted barley in the mash but also include unmalted barley in the distillation process, as well as some other oats or cereals. And they say that Redbreast is the largest selling single pot still Irish whiskey in the world. I’m not sure what the competition is but that’s pretty impressive.
This particular bottle is Batch 4 of the 27 year old releases, which is the oldest of Redbreast’s core lineup of whiskies. It has been triple distilled and matured in ex-bourbon, sherry, and Ruby Port casks, and after nearly three decades sitting in those casks it’s bottled at 53.6 percent ABV. Now the only thing the label states is that it’s been bottled at natural cask strength. The ABV leads me to believe that it’s probably non-chill filtered and possibly has no color added but there’s no specific mention about that information anywhere. So here is my suggestion to Redbreast’s owners at Pernod-Ricard: if you’re going to charge a premium price for a bottle of whisky, then it doesn’t seem like a little transparency on the bottle is too much to ask for.
The color of this whisky is a very inviting combination of copper and mahogany. And inside the glass there are some mesmerizingly slow, oily legs creeping away.
Nose:
At first I get a very fruity nose-full, like a cherries jubilee for dessert! Then there’s what I would call something bright and sparkling, like ginger ale. A bit of chocolate. Some maple syrup. This one is staying on the sweet-bound train with the scent of cotton candy. I pick up a very pleasant whiff of lavender honey. And then some prune juice.
Palate:
First up to the taste plate is some prominent spice which I associate with nutmeg. Then there’s definitely some black pepper. I can taste the sweetness of raisins and those caramel-covered apples on a stick you get at the circus or county fair. Now that’s bringing back a memory because I haven’t been for years! If you’ve ever had hot-cross buns, then you’ll probably appreciate the next flavor as much as I did. And finally the taste of cloves.
At 53.6 percent ABV I would normally be inclined to add a few drops of water but the with this one I can’t see where water is gonna enhance the dynamic flavors that are already coming through so I’ll be reviewing this one without any added water.
Finish:
The finish is moderate in length. It’s got a gooey, sweet, clinging taste that covers the inside of your mouth like a weekend in Las Vegas. There’s some honey syrup on the lips and inside the mouth it’s got a spicy finish with a lingering taste of tea with a cherry vanilla coke chaser. And maybe a little bubble gum, too.
Rating:
This whiskey is pretty exceptional and so easy to drink. It’s smooth. It’s flavorful. There’s nothing here that offends. But as weird as it sounds, that might be why I’m not fitting it with the jewel-encrusted, gold crown. While there are flavors coming at you from multiple fronts, for me it’s almost too sweet. There’s no gut punch to your taste buds. Now, just to be clear, if your whisky buying budget has the clearance, then you probably should have one of these bottles on your shelf to share with family and friends. Would I turn down a pour? Absolutely not. But would I drink it all night? Could I? Hard to say. And yet, it’s still an amazing whiskey. I’m giving the Redbreast 27 year old Batch 4 release a 9 finger pour.
Age Statement: 27 years
ABV: 53.6%
Chill Filtered: no (?)
E150a caramel coloring added: no (?)
Average Price (750ml): $800 (US)
https://www.redbreastwhiskey.com/en/whiskey-collections/redbreast-27-year-old-whiskey/
