Redbreast Family Collection

There’s something about the texture of a single pot still Irish whiskey that satiates the palate. Irish blends offer a similar feel in that they are all dangerously pleasant to drink neat. Maybe it has its basis in the inclusion of raw barley into the mash, or possibly the triple distillation, but I always seem to get myself in trouble whenever I partake of these forbidden fruits. It doesn’t help when you have a friend (claiming dubious Irish descent) that insists we coax down a casual beer with a glass of Jameson in the other hand. Our last get-together was followed by a mild silent treatment of a month or so from the wife. My favorite Irish whiskey experience; however, was a dram of Midleton Very Rare (peachy, 5 stars) enjoyed during a match of that fiendish game called Snooker. We played somewhere in Dublin years ago. British Army officers invented the sport, most believe, to drive the Irish crazy, and by all accounts, they’ve succeeded. For those unfamiliar, you take a regulation pool table and increase the size by 50%, then shrink the pockets by half. It requires a yoga pants type fit to sink a ball, and will produce a similar level of elation as the pants, when administered properly by the fairer sex. In any event, I purchased this 3-pack to get acquainted with single pot stills for our upcoming golf trip to Southern Ireland in September. The nose and palate on these whiskies were superb. For under $20, they were one hell of a buy to get exposure to this delightful category of whiskey. Check with Distiller’s experts for the flavor profiles, but I would rate all three with 4 stars.

A fine and affordable way for you to decide what your favorite Redbreast expression is. Helped me definitively decide that the 12 year was my favorite expression without buying full bottles. My only lament is that it doesn’t include the 12 year cask strength or a sample of the 21 year, though that may make this set prohibitively expensive. Also makes a nice gift for someone just getting into whiskey, as Irish whiskey is a good gateway and nothing beats Redbreast in my opinion.