Nose: Malty, oaky, sherried. Waxy honey, green apple, vanilla, Danish pastry with dark cherry filling and Belgian chocolate. With time some oak notes appear, but it is not excessively woody. Eventually red berry notes stand out. Water brings out a lot of delightful dusky floral aromas. Palate: Spicy sweet arrival, flavoursome but a little dominated by ethanol. As it develops the alcohol falls away to reveal a tannic, cask-driven malt with black pepper notes and a great deal of dried fruit. The texture is heavy and oily and there is an interesting acidity. Water is of benefit to the palate as well as the nose, highlighting sweeter fruity flavours, particularly red berries. It does not particularly round off the peppery tannins, however. Finish: Medium/short. Grippy, veering into bitterness. Good whiskey but it seems a little grumpy and unfriendly to me. There is a bitter tannic intrusion on the palate and the progression gradually grows more and more woody. In comparison the 12 year, 12 year CS and 21 year are less austere and more ”luscious”. It’s not actually bad – in fact it’s a good whisky - but it’s not particularly well balanced and it is outclassed by the other Redbreasts. The nose is by far the best part of the story here being rich, soft, plush and enticing. The palate just does not follow through and I don’t think it’s quite worth the asking price. One of the first Midleton whiskies that has not been immediately compelling to me. “Good” : 84/100 (3.75 stars)