Red Breast 12

by **SasquatchMan** » Tue Dec 09, 2003 7:24 pm

Greetings all. A friend of mine generally prefers Irish to Scotch whiskeys, so for Christmas I've picked up a bottle of Red Breast, which I haven't seen before around here. What are we in for when we crack it open?

I just had the Bushmills 16yr malt, which I thought was really nice, though in some senses a "one note" whiskey (but then I suppose comparing it to other blended Bushmills stuff isn't fair). It reminded me a bit of a less sherried Highland Park, come to think of it.

by **hpulley** » Tue Dec 09, 2003 8:45 pm

Redbreast Pure Pot Still is excellent whisky. It is my favorite Irish at the moment. A nice spicy nose, reminds me of those old red candies. Very different from the Irish single malts and blends. Good choice.

Bushmills 16yo is nice but IMO the 3 wood treatments leave little malt whisky flavor.

Harry

by **Gate** » Wed Dec 10, 2003 11:40 am

Redbreast is great stuff. I find it very distinctive, even amongst Irish whiskies, but I'm not quite sure what it is about it - a sort of fruitiness, I think, but definitely not that orangey edge you get with a successfully sherry-matured Speyside.

by **Richard Quilly** » Wed Dec 10, 2003 4:01 pm

My favourate whisk(e)y in the world, Redbreast is. You probably know this already, but it is one of only two pure pot still whiskies being produced currently, the other being Greenspot. There are others available, but they are not currently being produced. The pot still character is what gives Irish whiskey (generally) its flavor.

I wish it was more readily available over here.

by **SasquatchMan** » Wed Dec 10, 2003 4:22 pm

Well, I can hardly wait. I found the stuff at a local liquor store in a small city near me - a store that has been taken over by what is becoming a chain which specializes in whiskey and wine. Yay for me. I payed $32.00 Cdn which struck me as a good price if the whiskey is good. (That's what I pay for Aberlour, Laphroaig, and Tam Dhu).

It's gonna be tough to wail till Christmas, methinks.

by **triboubou** » Sun Dec 14, 2003 2:57 pm

What ? 32 Dollars Cdn (for canada I suppose) !!!
That mean you've paid 19 € for one bottle. Me, in France i've paid 40 € for (64.50 dollar Cdn) !!! :shock:

Can you buy some bottles and send me in France ? Thanks... :wink:

Because that whiskey is... How to say ? Simply GREAT.

by **SasquatchMan** » Sun Dec 14, 2003 4:54 pm

by **Aidan** » Thu Dec 25, 2003 12:29 pm

I am also a huge fan of this whiskey. I always have it in the house and it is the one whiskey that I'd hate to be without. Much much better than the expensive offerings from Middleton, with a few exceptions.

I was at a tasting where there was cask strength samples of the constituents of the Redbreast and it was a delight. I wish there were more pure pot still Irish available.

Happy Christmas

by **Leonidych** » Fri Dec 26, 2003 5:43 pm

Redbreast is my favourite, too. I usually warm the glass in my hands for a while to open its aroma, and then it is just so rich with good vibes! In the palate and finish, you can feel dried blackcurrants to dried plums, depending on the mood and the season.

Have you tried any other Midleton brands?

by **Richard Quilly** » Fri Dec 26, 2003 7:31 pm

I have had a couple of the Midleton Very Rares, and they were nice, but not as nice as the Jameson 18 Masters Edition.

Jameson standard seems to be a little better than I remember, but that could be my memory rather than a change in the whiskey.

I recently had the Powers 12 year old and it was superb. Well worth a try, but I only saw it in Dublin Airport.

by **Leonidych** » Fri Dec 26, 2003 10:02 pm

Richard,
Thanks, I am going to search for that Jameson 18!..

I have tasted Midleton Very Rare, and it's fine - I mean too fine, too delicate! Hm, and rather expensive. :wink:

Jameson Standard, IMHO, requires too much cuddling before it gives away any aroma. But when it does, you can feel a hint of the blackcurrant (Redbrfeast!) and even roasted pecans - not always, though. Jameson 12 combines hardness of its Standard buddy and fragrancy/flavour of Redbreast. Serious and elegant... I liked Powers Millenium for its long finish of dried apricots. Same with Powers Gold (I could not tell the difference comparing them). And I wanted to say a couple of words about Murphys I was introduced to recently. It reminded me Paddy at first sight... eh, first sip - as careless and airy - but when I warmed it up in my hands for a couple of minutes, Cinderella turned a Princess: flowery nose with a hint of sherry, smooth and round body, nutty and malty palate (may be a little too sweet), and dry and delicate aftertaste! Good stuff.

by **Richard Quilly** » Sat Dec 27, 2003 11:03 am

Leonidych,

Unfortunately, the Jameson 18 is very expensive too ($80), but it's well worth it if you get the chance.

Also, the Greenspot is like a young Redbreast with less sherry. This works really well. A steal if you can get you hands on it.

Jameson Gold I have only tasted once and it was impressive, but I didn't form a proper opinoin of it.

by **Leonidych** » Sat Dec 27, 2003 10:34 pm

Richard,
Yes. Greenspot I have, too. One of my favorites, too. To me it is a whiskey-companion, whiskey-sidekick. It can be mellow, fragrant, fruity, dry, sweet, bitter, refreshing, soothing -- just anything. So subtle and complementary to the senses that one can have it every day if no other brands existed...

Being from another distillery, Mitchell & Son, it strongly resembles Midleton. How come?

by **Richard Quilly** » Sun Dec 28, 2003 12:12 pm

Leonidych,

This is because Mitchel and Son is just the bonder. It is made at Midleton. Powers, Murphy's, Hewitts, Tullamore Dew, Jameson, Midleton, Paddy and so on are all made in Midleton.

Midleton is one of the most fantastic distilleries in the world, in that it can produce such a wide range of whiskies because of its setup.

There might be some Bushmills whiskey in some of the blends (maybe Hewitts not sure).

I would recommend you buy "The Whiskies of Ireland" by Peter Mulryan, or "Classic Irish Whiskey" by Jim Murray (a little out of date). These give a great insight into the Irish whiskey distilling industry and its history.

by **blackkeno** » Fri Jan 02, 2004 7:15 am

Pure Pot Still Irish is one of my all time favorate categories of whiskey. As much as I love Redbreast and Greenspot, I slightly prefer the Jameson 15 Limited Edition. During my first bottle, I slighty preferred Redbreast, but half way through my second bottle it took the lead for me. It is made with heavier PPS than Redbreast (or Greenspot) but this is balanced out nicely by the extra years in oak.

The Pure Pot Still Whiskey from the old Midleton Distillery is very expensive if you can find it, but the ones I've tried have been sublime and worth the expense (Midleton 26 and '64 Dungourney). The '67 single cask blend is also very interesting and reasonably priced (in comparison).

'51 Knappogue Castle 36yo (produced at the closed Daly distillery that made Tullamore Dew) is also very good, and sometimes can be had at a price 1/3 less than the old Midleton products. Old Comber 30yo is interesting, but I would say not worth the price except to collectors or PPS fanatics (too much wood on the palate). From what I've heard the same can be said for Midleton 30yo. Sometimes old bottles of Jameson 7 or 15 from the Bow street distillery show up. The 7yo is extremely heavy compared to any other Irish I've tasted.

Regards blends, I used to like Jameson Gold almost as much Midleton, but was not as impressed when I did a head to head with them and the new 18yo. I now prefer Midleton, then the J18, the JGold. I might even put the 12 ahead of the Gold based on my last experience.

by **Aidan** » Sat Jan 03, 2004 10:38 am

I just picked up a bottle of the Jameson 15. I don't know whether to drink it or keep it. I might buy another bottle for drinking.

The Jameson 18 is super, and I'd never be without a bottle of Jameson 12 in the house.

by **Richard Quilly** » Fri Jan 09, 2004 9:18 pm

I would always say drink it.

by **bamber** » Fri Sep 30, 2005 10:07 am

Just got my first bottle of this in my tasting rather that drinking phase w.r.t. whisk(e)y. Plan to have a drop in around 6 hours

Very excited hoping for a Sazerac Rye like moment.

by **Lawrence** » Fri Sep 30, 2005 3:54 pm

Red Breast! Be careful, that stuff stripped all the living tissue from the inside of my mouth, ugh!

by **hpulley** » Fri Sep 30, 2005 4:42 pm

Yeah? I really like Redbreast, except it is difficult to order from some waitresses and barmaids...

Harry

by **Aidan** » Fri Sep 30, 2005 5:39 pm

One of the great whisk(e)ys of the world. They always have this for tasting in the Celtic Whiskey Shop, and they sell a huge amount of it after it is tried. Brilliant value for a pure pot still too.

by **Aidan** » Fri Sep 30, 2005 5:44 pm

hpulley wrote:Yeah? I really like Redbreast, except it is difficult to order from some waitresses and barmaids...

Harry

It's called a diddy dearg by some here, as a skewed translation into Irish.

by **bamber** » Fri Sep 30, 2005 6:02 pm

Very very good. Absolutely no 'off notes'. It's the kind of whisky I can imagine people having as their everyday pour. Potstill sharpness tempered by oily sweet fruits and warming spice. Right now I'm going to say it's neck and neck with Jameson Gold as my top Irish, but with more patient study I think it will crack my all time top ten.

My sights are set on Green Spot next for comparison.

by **Frodo** » Sat Oct 01, 2005 8:15 am

If I had an "everyday pour" this would be it! Still too buisy with my journey though.

by **bamber** » Sat Oct 01, 2005 9:14 am

Frodo wrote:If I had an "everyday pour" this would be it! Still too buisy with my journey though.

I know exactly what you mean. Truth is it might be a couple of years before I come back to this and by that time it will have changed. Ardbeg Uigedail - had one bottle and loved it, but always looking for new tastes.

So many whiskies, so little time (and liver

).

by **Aidan** » Sat Oct 01, 2005 10:47 am

Irish Distillers are taking over distribution of Redbreast. Maybe this will make it more widely available, although I don't know how these things work.

by **bamber** » Sat Oct 01, 2005 12:11 pm

Waitrose now routinely stock it at £25 a bottle.

by **Wendy** » Sat Oct 01, 2005 2:22 pm

Last year at the 2004 Spirit of Toronto, Redbreast came highly recommended by a person I hold in high esteem in the whisky world. He said that he and his wife were married in 1960 and while on his honeymoon, he bought his first bottle of Redbreast. He said that the drink has remained consistently great through all those years, as well, as his marriage. I thought both were incredible accomplishments! After the Festival, I went out and bought my own bottle and quite enjoyed it.

Cheers,
Wendy

by **Lawrence** » Sun Oct 02, 2005 2:25 pm

Tried Redbreast 12 again last night and it was much bettert han remembered. I will give it another try.

by **Wendy** » Sun Oct 02, 2005 2:36 pm

Hi Lawrence,
Welcome back. I hope you had a great time in Paris. It is good of you to revisit the Redbreast after it leaving you with a negative impression. Sometimes it can be the bottling, but other times it can be our fickle tastebuds. It is interesting to resample something you didn't favour at one time from now and again and compare your notes.
Cheers,
Wendy

by **Lawrence** » Sun Oct 02, 2005 2:40 pm

I just had a little sample and it was quite different from the previous time. It must have been the company of the other drams that changed its flavour.

Paris was very good and WL was the highlight for me, it was nice to meet friends during a trip. I've posted some brief notes of my malt milage at WL on the what did you drink last night thread.