Redbreast Single Cask Whiskey Comes From Sherry Butt

by Nino Kilgore-Marchetti
February 22, 2016

If you are a fan of Redbreast Irish Pot Still Whiskey, and you happen to live in a state or destination which can receive overseas whiskey shipments from the United Kingdom, you’ll want to take note of a new single cask release from them. It is available through whiskey retailer The Whisky Exchange, and represents the first such single barrel offering from the whiskey label.

The Redbreast Single Cask, according to those behind it, heralds from Barrel #30087. This butt was

crafted in late 1996 at the Antonio Paez Lobato Cooperage in Southern Spain near Jerez, the world’s sherry capital. The cask was then toasted and seasoned with Oloroso sherry for two years at the Páez Morilla Bodega until early 1999, when the cask was shipped to the Midleton Distillery in County Cork, filled with Single Pot Still Irish distillate and laid in warehouse M15A until August 2015 – 16 years and 147 days later.

This Irish whiskey, bottled at 59.9% ABV, is available in only 576 bottles, each pricing at £180, or around $260 USD. It was chosen from the vast number of casks under the Redbreast brand by Midleton Head Blender Billy Leighton and The Whisky Exchange team last year.

“Being able to introduce the world to Redbreast Single Cask is very exciting,” said Leighton in a statement, “as it celebrates the heart of what connoisseurs love about the brand; its exceptional ex-Sherry cask contribution, our relationship with the Spanish bodegas and respect for the craftsmanship throughout the production process.”

Official tasting notes from Redbreast are below for your consideration.

Nose: Classic Single Pot Still spices in harmony with Oloroso seasoned Spanish oak. Deep dried fruit richness with a little mandarin orange zest blends with bitter almond, leather and toasted oak. Some nutmeg and sweet vanilla bring some balance to the exceptional complexity.

Taste: Full, round and velvety smooth. The rich Single Pot Still spices mingle effortlessly with the abundance of succulent fruit. Soft vanilla complements the robust note of ground coffee on a firm background of Spanish oak.

Finish: Complex and sophisticated, remaining in balance as it fades.