Since I am fairly new to the world of Irish, I look at things a little more binary. A better dram or a lesser dram. I could not wait to try the Redbreast12 after hearing so many good things about it and reading so many good reviews. I usually will not take a flyer on a 60 plus dollar bottle unless I'm fairly certain it's going to be a winner. The Redbreast 12 year is just short of fantastic. However, the short knocks it down quite a bit from what it could be. The nose on this would-be gem is so fantastic that I could nose it for hours. Apple brandy, dark fruit, especially figs, dark brown sugar, baking spice, fresh sliced apples, apple cider. All the aromas I love. It is very leggy in the glass but does not have a super viscous mouthfeel. Vanilla, dried fruits, baking spices, and the return of dark brown sugar from the nose lands in the palate with apple pie or apple with a cobbler crust. This is where things make an incredible wrong turn. The warm medium to long finish is absolutely obstructed by it's overwhelming astringency. I had hoped that maybe this was a symptom of a neck pour and gave the bottle a few pours and some time to open up. Unfortunately, all the positives remain as well as the one glaring negative. I just cannot understand how such a fantastic dram could finish so dry and astringent. All it needs is a touch of sweetness and a bit of crispness to satisfy and it would rival 4.5 to 4.75 stars. I do not drink sweet beverages and I am sensitive to sweet. Given that, I am afraid others might find this even more painfully dry. Sadly 3.25 Stars instead of 4.25 given the finish and the price point. If the bars and pubs EVER open back up, I will sample some other upper tier Irish first before dropping coin on the 750.