- The Redbreast line of whiskies first appeared circa 1912. They were the brainchild of W.A. Gilbey, a wine importer and whisky bonding agent founded in London in 1857 and expanding into Scotland and Ireland shortly thereafter. Gilbey’s abundant supply of ex-sherry transport casks were utilized to age distillate provided by Jamison‘s historic Bow Street Distillery in Dublin. Gilbey’s sold the Redbreast brand to Irish Distillers in 1986. Irish Distillers was formed in 1966 by a merger of Cork Distilleries Company, John Jameson and Son, and John Power and Son, and was then acquired in 1988 by wine and spirits giant, Pernod Ricard. Redbreast Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey is currently the world’s best selling in this category. “Single pot still” whiskey is unique to Ireland and must be produced with a minimum of 30% unmalted barley giving it its distinctive profile. This is unlike Scotland’s “single malt” whiskies which contains 100% malted barley. The “single” designation in both countries requires production at a single distillery. The Redbreast 27yo pictured debuted in 2019 and is now part of their core range. It has been triple distilled and matured in ex-bourbon, sherry, and ruby port casks. It rolls in, cask strength at 107.2 proof, and the packaging for this product is a cabinetmaker’s delight. Distributors have recently rumored the retail price to be doubling next year. Unfortunately, unless the distillery sends along a sample, this is the best I can do with this review, since I only plan to stare at mine for a few years. 🙂