Happy New Year Begins With Redbreast Hattrick

Happy New Year Begins With Redbreast Hattrick

And, first, a fond look-back at the Lustau Connection

Back in 2015, Ballymaloe hosted a sherry dinner. Manolo Lozano, accompanied by friend and translator Paco Lozano (unrelated), was here to visit Irish Distillers in nearby Midleton and the dinner celebrated the links between the two companies.

The sherry flowed over the multi-course meal. But there was one further liquid treat in store for us, a glass of Redbreast 21 year old Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey. Master Blender at Midleton Distillery Billy Leighton: “The Redbreast family is all based on whiskey raised in sherry casks. Paco and Manolo have been of tremendous help to us in Jerez. We get the best quality cases and that leads to the best quality whiskey”.

On the 21-year old, it was agreed that “there is a succulent fruitiness on the nose, a heavier style. Secret is to match the sherry flavours with the spicy whiskey, get that balance of fruitiness and spices. And that taste is full and silky, smooth and, even at 46% abv, it slips down nicely before the fruitiness slowly fades away and it drys out leaving the barley at the very end. Sláinte!”

Just a bit of background for you ahead of this trio (a Christmas present) that includes the Redbreast Lustau Edition but, sadly, no 21-Year old.

Redbreast 12 Year Old Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey 40% ABV

RRP: c. 64 euro

Matured in the finest oak casks, a combination of Bourbon and Sherry, “the distinctive Redbreast sherry style is a joy to behold in each and every bottle”. It is their signature bottling.

Colour of the 12-year old is an eye-catching bright gold  (especially if the Christmas lights are still on) with coppery tints. Aromas are complex, the notes of fruit, spice and oak promising much.

And the same richness is joyfully evident on the velvety smooth palate, so much so that I’m berating myself for not having had one in a long while. Still, absence makes the heart grow fonder. Together again, the finish is long and the satisfying moments linger.

Made from a mash of malted and unmalted barley and then triple distilled in copper pot stills, Redbreast 12 boasts the flavour complexity and distinctive qualities of Pot Still whiskey. Matured in a combination of Bourbon seasoned American Oak barrels and Oloroso Sherry seasoned Spanish oak butts, the distinctive Redbreast sherry style is a joy to behold in each and every bottle.

I must say, I really love this one. Celtic Whiskey are also enthusiastic: Redbreast was a brand name for Jameson's pure Irish pot still, bottled in bond by Gilbeys. First made in 1939 with Jameson filling Gilbey's own casks. Two sherry casks were used for each bourbon cask. The brand died off with the closure of Jameson's distillery but was recently relaunched and is a huge favourite with both whiskey drinkers and connoisseurs. Really deserves to be marketed worldwide!

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Redbreast 15 Year Old Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey 46% ABV

RRP: c. 105 euro

Matured in the finest oak casks (1st fill Sherry and Bourbon barrels). A careful balance of first fill and refill casks accentuates the assorted spices within Redbreast’s characteristic full and complex flavour, amplified through additional maturation.

The nose of this 15-year old is more rounded, more sophisticated, than its younger cousin, full and rich of course, with figs, apricots and nuts in the melange. And the extra years have also enhanced the experience in the mouth, complex yes but smoother (dried fruit, zest and an enhanced spiciness) and even more toastiness towards the finalé.

Made from a mash of malted and unmalted barley and then triple distilled in copper pot stills, Redbreast 15 is comprised exclusively of Pot Still whiskeys matured in the finest oak casks for no less than 15 years. That means that the youngest whiskey in the blend is 15 years. A careful balance of first fill and refill casks accentuates the assorted spices within Redbreast’s characteristic full and complex flavour.

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Redbreast Lustau Edition Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey 46% ABV

RRP: c. 76 euro

A unique collaboration between the prestigious Bodegas Lustau in Jerez, Spain, and the Midleton Distillery in County Cork. Initially matured in traditional bourbon and sherry casks for a period of 9-12 years. It is then finished for one extra year in first fill sherry butts which have been seasoned with Oloroso sherry from the prestigious Bodegas Lustau.

Colour is a bright gold with coppery tints. Aromas are, as you’d expect, spicy and fruity, complex. It is show-stopping on the palate, the string quarter has left the stage and the full orchestra plays on, silky smooth with a harmonious balance of spicy, fruity, sherry and toasted notes. And long after the the final note, the complex flavours reverberate in a thrilling lingering finalé.

This, “the ultimate sherried style of Redbreast”, may well be my favourite of the trio.