Boy oh boy, life sure has been crammed full of things to keep me away from whisky these past few months. I’ve had plenty to drink, but precious little time to sit and properly review a dram. So I found some time today to review a famous Irish whiskey. I picked up a bottle of Redbreast 12 on Thanksgiving morning to share with my wife’s family. They are all about 1/4 Irish, but that’s what they identify as so I figured I’d go Irish with them. They usually stick to Jameson so why not help them to stretch out a bit. Redbreast 12 is fully matured in Oloroso sherry casks, bottled at 40% ABV, chill filtered and most likely has colorant added making it a honey gold with some red/copper hues. This is a single pot still whiskey, meaning it’s a mash of malted and un-malted barley, distilled in a pot still. The nose starts with fresh cut green oak and sawdust. Very grain forward, heavy barley notes. Then, like an explosion of citrus, a wave of orange marmalade, orange rinds, apricots and tangerines hits you full force. Creamy vanilla, pecans and some honey. There is a slightly sharp metallic note that I’ve found in every Irish whiskey I’ve had, but it’s not too bad here. Sweet, with enough wood spice to put things in balance. Nutmeg and cloves and buttered biscuits. Light sherry, apple skins, grapes and faint raisins. After letting it sit a while there is caramel, butterscotch, peanut brittle and light maple. The palate is full of orange marmalade, oranges & cream, vanilla, oak and toasted coconut. Slightly sharp, but that could just be the wood spices, clove and nutmeg. Toffee, apple skins, red berries and some sherry sweetness. A vague nuttiness, honey, slightly floral. Fairly malty, like buttery biscuits. A light bodied mouthfeel that is very creamy and mouth coating. The finish is medium length with oranges, coconut and cereal malt, semi dry. While my experience with Irish whiskey is very limited, this has to be the best one to date. In some ways it comes across like a young Dalmore with an extra helping of oranges. I paid $70 for this bottle, and while it is good, it’s not THAT good. There are much better options in the scotch world for less. I will say that this is a very friendly, easy drinker. I set aside 4oz for myself for long term storage and possible future trades, and 4oz for a friend, leaving 2/3 of the bottle. Well that 2/3 was gone in 3 days between me and my in-laws...and they didn’t have all that much of it! I’ll give this a solid 3.75 Cheers