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Wednesday, January 8, 2014
An Older Irish: Redbreast 21
For years, Redbreast 12 year old was the only whiskey in the Redbreast line of pure pot still Irish Whiskeys from the MIdleton Distillery. In recent years, though, they have been expanding the line, first with a 15 year old, then a cask strength version of the 12 year old and now, a 21 year old.
Redbreast 21, 46% abv ($180)
The nose is very light with grassy notes. The palate is grassy and malty with a slight sweetness. The finish is malty with some sweet wine and light fruit juice notes.
I tried this side by side with the only other Redbreast expression I had on hand, the 12 year casks strength. Compared to the 12 year old cask strength, the 21 year old had some added complexity, mostly showing on the late palate and finish. There was the touch of sweetness and a bit more depth to the maltiness which enhances it.
That being said, I've never been a huge fan of the Redbreast line. While this is a good whiskey and probably the best of the Redbreast expressions, I wouldn't call it a great whiskey.
That's a bit of a bummer. But it would take a lot of very strong reviews to make me consider shelling out the money. This because I share your general disappointment with the line. I actually prefer the regular 12 to the CS (I have a review of the latter coming up soon) but am in no hurry to replace that either now that the price is closer to $50 than $30.
ReplyDeleteI wonder how it compares to the Midleton Very Rare blend for $140. I like that one, although not everyone does.
ReplyDeleteAlex, I thought they were fairly comparable. I'd probably say I liked the Redbreast 21 a bit more. The Midleton has always reminded me of regular Redbreast.
ReplyDelete