A Somewhat Brief History of Redbreast
The story of Redbreast begins in 1857 when two brothers named Walter and Alfred Gilbey opened a small wine importing business as W & A Gilbey. By 1866 Gilbey’s fast growing business moved to their second location in Dublin with their own vaults, a tasting room, and had already begun selling their wine and spirits directly to consumers under their own brand. By 1875 sourcing Irish whiskey from Dublin distilleries were the largest part of Gilbey’s business selling 83,000 cases of Irish whiskey under their own three main brands. At that time this was the largest stock of Irish Whiskey of any company in the world, outside of the distilleries themselves.
By the turn of the century, Gilbey’s held a stock of over 700,000 gallons of John Jameson & Son’s whiskey which was “especially reserved for their celebrated brands”. The casks filled by Jameson were supplied by Gilbey’s. Being importers of sherry, Glibey’s had a large supply of sherry casks which they stored in vaults at their bonded warehouses.
In 1903 Gilby’s “Castle Grand JJ” whiskey brands bared the “JJ” John Jameson & Son signature. A year later, John Jameson & Son’s Castle “JJ Liqueur” Whiskey 12 Years Old was the precursor to Redbreast being similar in shape, and bearing the red and white label seen on Redbreast bottles up until the 1960’s. Gilbey’s sold whiskey under the Castle brand until at least the late 1930s. In 1912 the first reference to Redbreast on a label appears as a suggested nickname to the already established “JJ Liqueur” Whiskey 12 Years Old bottling, being referred to as a “famous brand”. The name “Redbreast” was a nickname of Gilbey’s chairman at the time, who was an avid bird-watcher. Gilbey’s sold whiskey under the Castle brand until the late 1930s.
Gilbey’s enjoyed success throughout the next few decades and by the mid 1960’s Redbreast was being bottled in batches of about 4,000 gallons annually. 1985 was the last year Redbreast was bottled under the Gilbey’s banner. In 1986 Gilbey’s, who had long since stopped maturing Redbreast in their vaults entered into an agreement to sell the brand name to Irish Distillers. In December of 1991, Redbreast was re-introduced by Irish Distillers Limited, after an absence of almost 10 years.
Midleton Distillery
Redbreast Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey is produced at Midleton Distillery, made from a mash bill of malted and unmalted barley, and then triple distilled using a traditional Irish copper pot still. Midleton is the largest distillery in Ireland and is owned by Irish Distillers, a subsidiary of Pernod Ricard. The Old Midleton Distillery dates back to the early 17th century, which sits beside the new distillery. Other pot stilled whiskeys produced at Midleton are Middleton Rare, Powers and Spot Whiskeys. Midleton also produces column still grain Irish Whiskeys with their flagship brand being Jameson. However, Redbreast 12 (and 15) are the most popular produced single pot stilled whiskeys at the distillery. Redbreast 12 Year (original and cask strength) is aged in previously used American oak bourbon barrels and Oloroso sherry Spanish oak casks. Let’s get to it!
Taken: Neat in a Glencairn glass, rested about 15 minutes.
Distillery: Midleton Distillery. Midleton, County Cork, Ireland.
Proof: 112.6, non-chill filtered.
Age: 12 years in ex-bourbon barrels and Spanish oak Oloroso sherry casks.
Batch #: B1/21.
Mash bill: Malted and Unmalted Barley.
Price: $86.00.
Appearance: Golden caramel.
Nose
Sweet butterscotch, malt cereal, honey, vanilla, red berries, banana, figs, orange citrus, almonds, just a bit of dill, allspice and toasted oak. This pour smells incredible, and the balance is fantastic with just a bit of heat. I love this sweet and fruit forward elevated Redbreast 12 profile. There’s a fantastic toasty oak note that not only helps round out this nose, but develops into a wonderful chocolate note over time.
Palate
The nose transfers spot on to the palate with sweet caramel, malt, red berries, banana, a hint of orange citrus with dill and some almond nuttiness. The mouthfeel is nice and viscous. Allspice enters the sip slowly and builds up with a decent portion of toasted oak through the finish. This is a very impressive and flavorful pour with incredible attention to detail in regards to balance. What’s also remarkable is how easy of a sipper this is drinking below its proof.
Finish
Allspice lingers with malt, red berries, with a hint of banana, vanilla, almonds, and subtle dill coming back around. Delicious oak tannins turn into delicate tobacco which mingle with allspice, lasting for a very long and enjoyable finish. There is no oaky bitterness but just some slight dryness at the very end.
Conclusion
This bottle was the last Redbreast Cask Strength on the shelf at my local store, and I feel lucky to have snagged it. I purchased it for a friend to bring to his St. Patrick’s Day party and it was a hit. This was the first time I’ve tried Redbreast 12 Cask Strength and it has exceeded my expectations. It delivered what I expected from regular Redbreast 12, with the cask strength ABV elevating all the flavors in its delicious profile. What I wasn’t expecting was the considerable amount of tasty oak, which I’m a big fan of. Not to mention, how well the oak was balanced all the way through this pour. I think it’s fair to say that Redbreast 12 Cask Strength has become my favorite Irish whiskey. This batch is from early 2021 and I hope that the next Redbreast 12 Cask Strength batch I buy is as good as this one.
Rating: 8.2/10.
1 | Disgusting | So bad I poured it out.
2 | Poor | I wouldn’t consume by choice.
3 | Bad | Multiple flaws.
4 | Sub-par | Not bad, but better exists.
5 | Good | Good, just fine.
6 | Very Good | A cut above.
7 | Great | Well above average.
8 | Excellent | Really quite exceptional.
9 | Incredible | An all time favorite.
10 | Perfect | Perfect.
