As far as excuses to have a drink go, it being Saint Patrick’s Day is a very good one. Of course, that meant I had to have some Irish whiskey. Luckily, I have some lying around.

Interestingly, I remembered the bottle of Redbreast and Writer’s Tears Mizunara Cask (that only came in yesterday). It was only when I wanted to dig out the Redbreast and I had to move some Waterford out of the way that I remembered that that’s an Irish whiskey too. In my mind, apparently, that’s a Scotch…

About Redbreast then. It’s a whiskey made at Midleton, as are a lot of Irish whiskeys, and I got this bottle when it was discounted a few months ago. Of course, I didn’t really sit down for it soon enough, but I did yesterday.

Sniff:
A lot of tropical fruit, with a sponge cake sweetness. Mango, papaya, orange, lemon drizzle cake. Barley sugar, a whiff of icing.

Sip:
A bit of chili pepper bite. Less oak than I would expect for 21 years old. Dry with dried fruit, fresh fruit. Lots of tropical flavors, sweet pastry with some vanilla and puff pastry.

Swallow:
A huge finish with dry fruit notes, some wood spices. Lots of tropical fruit. Long, long, long.

This, dear reader, is a very, very good whiskey. It has the fruity sweetness and barley sugar that makes it lovely. What it does not have too much of is that wine gum chemical sweetness that generally puts me off older Irish whiskey, generally. So, all the good stuff without the bad stuff.

I think it’s a very good thing that this is bottled at 46%, instead of 43%, or even the 40% of the 12 years old. It can use the extra oomph. Absolutely gorgeous.

91/100

Available for around € 200 in The Netherlands, but it’s cheaper in other countries