A mash bill of malted and unmalted barley, triple distilled in pot stills, matured separately in European oak sherry and American oak ex-bourbon casks and then, at the 12-year mark, brought out of its respective casks and blended together. The result is an Irish whiskey which is imbued with the sweet brown sugar and vanilla notes from the American oak and the dried dark fruits from the European sherried oak. There is an interplay of winter spices from the two cask types which is subtle and integrated. Cinnamon and nutmeg would come, I’d guess, from the American oak, and the heavier cinnamon, clove and pepper base from its European counterpart. The sherried oak's grape mustiness is very much kept in check; it anchors the spirit with an earthy, full bodied impression, but never weighs it down, nor does it overpower it; this dram is not a sherry bomb. Whilst not a light whisky by any means - the oils are heavy and flavourful - there’s also a lightness of smell and taste which allows the senses to go beyond the usual identifiers of vanilla, dried dark fruits and winter spices; let the spirit rest on your tongue awhile and a note of almond and hazelnut makes itself present. The mouthfeel is creamy and soft from the unmalted barley, whilst the oily finish is long and ‘Christmassy’ with a very tight and right combination of sweetness, spiciness and dryness. Intentionally, I have not separated my notes into nose, palate, mouthfeel and finish. Instead I've let descriptors flow within a single paragraph. In doing so, I've tried to convey that feeling of consistent quality that Redbreast 12 imparts throughout the tasting experience. There are no discordant notes here: the palate follows naturally from the nose, the mouthfeel is exactly as forecasted by the nose and at the end the finish draws a complete circle back to the nose. Is there a better 12 YO for its category? We’re coming to the tail end of the dawn of an Irish whiskey renaissance which means there is a respectable amount and, importantly, variety of whiskey coming out of Ireland again. This, in turn, means that the chance of a contender appearing to challenge for top honours is increasing rapidly. There may even already be one out there, waiting for critics to review and punters to partake. Regardless of all this, some things remain constant: Redbreast 12 is the top seller in its category, it is a top shelf dram, and at €44 for the 70cl bottle, remains a top choice to keep on your shelf.