Redbreast 12 Year Cask Strength

Going out of town for a few days, so reviewing the lone Irish whisky in the cabinet this evening, ahead of St. Patty's. Reviewing B1 2020, 57.6% ABV. Picked this up after really enjoying the sample of Small Batch Cask Strength. For whatever reason, I remember liking the nose on the Small Batch more, but I like the palate more on this one. This smells more like Irish whisky to me, but has some bourbony vanilla/caramel in the palate. I didn't really catch the shortbread cookie note on the SB, but this one has it in spades. Fruit - apple, peach, raspberry? Honey, dried fruit, cinnamon, a little spicy. I wish all Irish whisky tasted like this, although there appear to be very few cask strength Irish whiskies. Overall, I think this is a notch above the SB Cask Strength in complexity. And I picked it up for considerably cheaper than the SB appears to go for. Happy (early) St. Patty's Day!

Nose: light and crisp fruit. Apples, Carmel, vanilla Palate: dried fruit, Carmel, toasted oak. This is grand. Subtle but grand. Finish: long and lingers. Overall: this is a delicious pour. Redbreast at cask strength is amazing. Cost me three bills and tax. I would gladly buy another bottle.

Batch B1/20 ABV 57.6% Another huge shout out to Napa Valley Beverage Company, where the selection of Redbreast exceeded more than I've ever seen elsewhere, and certainly more than I'd ever thought I'd see in my lifetime. Given the general weakness of Irish whiskys (almost unanimously ringing in at 80 proof), hunting a cask strength Irish whisky to enjoy this month was my mission. With Redbreast already being a fantastic part of my tasting journey so far, getting this was a no brainer. This also seems like a good place to give thanks to Europe for aging their whisky decades as a minimum, while America is too busy trying to get a quick dollar after 24 months in a barrel. For aging in the same handful of used barrels as European whiskys generally are, this one has a noticeably darker color, albeit only by a small factor. God bless cask strength whisky, because it's so much easier to let the nose go wild in detecting the base notes. A salty caramel along with banana and a touch of citrus are present at first, all on top of an oak presence that's somewhere between toasted and charred. A delightful amount of ethanol that carries the scent without being too overpowering. Because of the high proof, I had to let a few sips acclimate me. Along the way, the ethanol gave me burns that made me think of rye, even though it's not involved at all here, but the gum spice was very much welcomed. At a lower proof, I would expect more fruit or some light spices, but the cask strength has heavy, winter spices that accompany a light vanilla sweetness. The finish is very hot and long, which is very enjoyable, and also imparts similar oak from the nose, although this time much closer to a charred version. As enjoyable as this is, it really changes the image of Irish whisky and Redbreast as well. Redbreast takes the soft, tropical fruit, honey, and floral spices and elevates it with a quality I have not experienced from another Irish distillery. However, this cask strength version really brings about a spiciness that sticks around, very much unexpected from what Ireland offers otherwise, although this is an expected flavor difference since there is almost 20% more ethanol involved. I would not offer this to anyone who is truly looking for a light whisky and is familiar with other distilleries who have released plenty of 80 proof products that they have already enjoyed. Instead, this should go to someone who is versed in detecting flavors hidden inside of strong ethanol, but is still also familiar with the profile of Redbreast or similar Irish whiskys.

Unreal buttery shortbread taste on the front with hints of dried fruit and spice on the finish.