REDBREAST 12 YEAR OLD IRISH 'SINGLE POT STILLED' WHISKEY

[senor_robusto]

evening all,
it's been a while from i posted a review on here!! this week i picked up a bottle of redbreast 12 year old irish 'pot stilled' whiskey, a mainstay in my drinks cabinet! the reason why i thought of posting a review here was because of a discussion on here recently, where the age old 'scotch vs irish' raised it's head!!! some folk are exclusive scotch drinkers, and that's okay!! however, i think the snobbery that comes with that point of view is robbing people of the delights of irish 'whiskey'!!
irish_red1.jpg

first off, i'd like to impose my views/ beliefs! as much as both whisky & whiskey are both grain based drinks, i believe they are 2 different kinds of beasts, and i like to treat each accordingly!!! for me, it's not a case of scotch vs irish, it's scotch AND irish! here's a link to the differences between scotch and irish whisk(e)y:
http://www.differencebetween.net/obj...scotch-whisky/
the differences in the creation, from the actual ingredients used, distillation and aging, produces very different results!!

redbreast 12 year old is one of irelands finest whiskies being produced today!! produced by jameson's at the midleton distillery, redbreast is one of a handful of pot stilled whiskies being produced (the others include green spot, yellow spot, john powers john's lane and midleton rare)! as it's name suggests, it's a 12 year old single pot stilled whiskey, aged in oloroso sherry casks, that give it a somewhat fruitiness! everything about this whiskey oozes class and elegance!!! first off, the colour is amber/ gold! on the nose, it's a beautiful mix of oak, vanilla, sherry and spice! body, i'd describe it as smooth, oily, sweet and 'zesty'!! flavour, to me it screams christmas cake.... rich, sherry sweet, raisins, spice (think cinnamon and nutmeg), gingerbread, toffee, vanilla!!! heavenly stuff!! the finish is quite long and warm, that makes you keep going back to the glass for more!!! overall, this is a beautiful, well balanced, rich, complex whiskey, that i choose to sip neat....... a great accompaniment on a cold, wintery night!!
http://www.thewhiskyexchange.com/P-2906.aspx
(btw, the whiskey exchange prices this at ?38, i paid ?29 for it in asda)

rated 90/100 by jim murray

alex

[peanutpete]

Thanks for the review Alex,i am looking to add some pot stilled after trying both green and yellow spot,is it in the asda shops in England if you know?

[senor_robusto]

not sure pete, but it's worth checking!!! it'll save you around ?15 compared to the whiskey exchange!!! if you're looking to try more pot stilled irish whiskey, give jameson's 'the crested ten' a go!!! it's usually around the ?20 mark for a 70cl bottle!!! it's like a poor man's redbreast:

http://www.thewhiskyexchange.com/P-2854.aspx

also, power's gold label is lovely stuff! it's a blended whiskey, containing 70% pure pot stilled and 30% grain!!! a litre is usually just shy of the ?20 mark!!! john power's 'john's lane' 12 year old single pot stilled is fantastic stuff:

http://www.thewhiskyexchange.com/P-2903.aspx

http://www.thewhiskyexchange.com/P-15234.aspx

in total, as far as i know, there's only about half a dozen pot stilled irish whiskies on the market today!! redbreast (3 variations), green spot, yellow spot, john power's 'john's lane', midleton rare (and it's variations)!! the blended stuff, such as the powers selection and crested 10 make up this type of whiskey!!!

hope this helps.......

alex

[peanutpete]

Thanks for the info Alex,i will keep an eye open in the supermarkerts and if no joy i will give the whisky exchange my money