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30 Years
after Irish Distiller's resurrected
Redbreast pot still whiskey they have taken a
step back in time with the release of
the Redbreast 10 Year Old which hasn't
been bottled since the early 1970's.
Fans
of Irish Distillers Redbreast single pot
still whiskey will be intrigued and I am
sure pleased to hear that the Irish
whiskey maker has taken a step back in
time with the launch of a Redbreast 10
Year Old Cask Strength expression today.
Some of the more mature drinkers amongst
you may recall the Redbreast 10 Year Old
expression which was last seen in the
early 1970's, it was was produced by
Gilbey's, a Dublin spirits merchant
using distillate sourced from Jameson's
Bow Street Distillery.
The reason the Gilbey's Redbreast 10
Year Old disappeared was because in
1971, Irish Distillers closed all its
Dublin distilleries including Bow Street
and consolidated production at the new
Midleton Distillery, a large
purpose-built facility in County Cork.
As a result, production of Redbreast
whiskey moved from Dublin to Cork and
the range of available expressions was
reduced.
In 1985, Gilbey's ceased production of
Redbreast then the following year they
agreed to sell the brand to Irish
Distillers. The Redbreast whiskey brand
was subsequently relaunched in 1991 with
the release of the 12 year old after
several years of absence from the
market. This was followed by the
Redbreast 15 year old, 21 year old, a
new 12 year Cask Strength limited batch
release expression and more recently the
no age statement sherry finished Lustau
expression.
 So around 50 years on since whiskey
drinkers last saw the Redbreast 10 Year
Old whisky fans have the chance to taste
it once again. A combination of three
distillates, spanning 10 to 15 years in
age, matured in both American oak
ex-bourbon barrels and Oloroso sherry
seasoned butts from Spain.
The obvious
major difference between the old 10 year
old expression and the new batch release
10 year old is its bottling strength, I
am pleased to say the folks at Irish
Distiller's have chosen to bottle the reimagined
expression at what has got to be a more
flavoursome cask strength
of 59.1% ABV and if the outstanding
Redbreast 12 year old Cask Strength
batch release is
anything to go by the new Redbreast 10
year old Cask Strength should be something
special, (disclaimer) although don't quote me on that
as I have yet had a chance to taste it.
The distillery describe the
new 2021 Redbreast 10
Year Old as a truly special offering
that contains rare, more traditional
style of single pot still distillate
which is usually reserved for older
age-statement whiskeys in the Redbreast
range which pays tribute to the historic
expression last produced in the 1970s. A
significant contribution from the sherry
butts references the prominent use of
fortified wine casks in whiskey bonding
throughout Ireland in the 1960s.
On the launch of Redbreast 10 Year Old,
Master Blender, Billy Leighton comments:
"This release rejoices the longstanding
history of Redbreast Irish Whiskey and
celebrates the distinctive qualities
which Redbreast is known for globally.
Redbreast 10-Year-Old offers a unique,
rich flavour profile with notes of
tropical and dried fruit, which gives
way to a balance of richness from the
inclusion of sherry casks. I am
delighted to share this release with
whiskey advocates and Redbreast fans
across the globe."
Redbreast 10 Year Old Cask Strength
Batch 1 will retail at €100, to my
knowledge it will be
available exclusively via The Birdhouse,
Redbreast’s online membership platform
from today and is limited to two bottles
per person.
You will also find the outstanding
Redbreast whiskey range available from specialist online whisky
retailers such as
The Whisky Exchange,
The Whisky Shop and Master of Malt
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