Review of
Redbreast Dream Cask as selected by Billy
Leighton for the the Facebook Live
Tasting on World Whisky Day 2017.
On Saturday evening,
May 20th, I had the pleasure of taking
part in a special World Whisky Day Facebook Live whisky tasting which was
hosted by Midleton/Redbreast Head
Blender Billy Leighton and his
Apprentice Blender Dave McCabe.
At 7.00pm on Saturday evening Billy and
Dave presented a rare and as it turned
out a very special single cask
expression of Redbreast Single Pot Still
Irish whiskey live from warehouse A1 in
the grounds of the Midleton Distillery,
County Cork, Ireland.
I received my 100ml sample of the
whiskey to be tasted around 1 week
before the tasting,
my sample bottle came with no label or
info about the whiskey in the bottle and
it was asking a lot for me to wait a
week to taste the whiskey. Admittedly
being the curious type I did give the
sample bottle a good shake and was able
to ascertain from the speed the air
bubbles dissipated that it had probably
been bottled around 45 - 50%, not an
exact science but a good indicator.
Giving it a quick nose and going by its
colour I was able to say that it had a
definite sherry cask influence and that
it was very likely a well aged whiskey.
I did however manage to refrain myself
from tasting it and saved it until the evening of the
tasting.
During the tasting
on World Whisky Day, Billy Leighton revealed the details of the
mysterious Redbreast Dream Cask whiskey, a Redbreast Single
Pot Still whiskey which was over 31
years old, it was matured for 25 years in a ex-American
Bourbon barrel then it was re-casked in
a Spanish Oloroso sherry cask for 6 more
years where it still remains today, only the
samples which were bottled at a cask
strength of 46.7% ABV for the World Whisky Day tasting
were removed from the cask.
I asked Billy Leighton near the end of
the live tasting what they
intended doing with the cask (20 min 35 secs into the video above) Billy
suggested that if you would like to see
it bottled for members of Redbreast's
whiskey club, The Birdhouse,
rather than disappear into the core
range then let Redbreast know via their
social media channels such as Facebook
and Twitter using #RedbreastDreamCask
There is around 450 litres remaining in
the cask, if you would like to taste the
Redbreast Dream Cask single cask whiskey
which is over 31 years old for yourself
then I suggest you do as Billy has
suggested. After tasting it myself I
would hate to see it disappear into the
Redbreast core range
it would be quite frankly criminal if it
did.
My thoughts on it are below.
You will find the current Redbreast whiskey range available from
specialist online whisky retailers such
as
Master of
Malt
Redbreast Dream Cask Sample Review
This spent
25 years in a Bourbon barrel then another 6 years in
a Oloroso sherry cask and was bottled at
a cask strength of 46.7% ABV.
William
Morrison's Tasting Notes:
Nose: A rich enticing sherried
nose, orange, plum and apricot are
intertwined with honey and vanilla. A
touch of coconut and lovely pot still
spice.
Taste: Juicy, fruity and floral.
Honey and vanilla laced with apricot and
orange, a little sweet coconut, some
pepper and liquorice makes a late
appearance.
Finish: A deliciously long fruity
and spicy finale. Some milk chocolate. A
little pear joins the apricot and orange
all dusted with a touch of liquorice,
pepper and oak spice. A little drying at
the end.
Comment: Loved it, I want a full
bottle! A stunning, deliciously juicy,
fruity, complex mature pot still whisky
which has clearly spent its years
maturing in quality casks, it really
would be a crime to not bottle at least
some of the remaining 450 litres as a
single cask bottling for the members of
Redbreasts Birdhouse.
SMW Score 93/100
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