Overview
My wife is of Irish descent and soon after we started “going out” in the 90s I started to make regular trips to Ireland. Sometimes driving ’round from place to place, stopping in B&B bungalows that seemed too big for their occupants. Sometimes sitting in relatives parlours being offered an overabundance of ham sandwiches and cups of tea.
I loved Ireland as soon as I went, but the one thing I hated was “drinking”… and they tend to do a lot of that. Back then you had a choice of Guinness (I hate stout!), Harp (possibly the worst lager in the world) and Jamesons (the sort of ‘Bells’ like whisky that put me off whiskey for years)
So 10 or so years ago when my mother-in-law kept telling me about a great Irish whiskey called Redbreast, I was, to put it mildly… skeptical.
| Colour | Nose | Palate | Finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| Auburn caramel. | Dried fruit, orange and ginger with a nutty richness. | More citrus, christmas cake, marzipan, sherry and spice. | Creamy smooth, long with still some spice against a lemony background. |
Conclusion
I know (the Irish say) the Irish monks invented whiskey, but Nokia invented the smartphone so ‘inventing’ and ‘perfecting’ aren’t the same thing. However, this is a bloody good whiskey and as far removed from bog standard Jamesons or Paddys than a good single malt scotch is from Bells or Teachers. It was named ‘Overall Irish Whiskey of the Year’ at the 2013 Irish Whiskey Awards and (thanks to my Irish mother-in-law) I could have told them that 10 or more years ago!
80%
Rating
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