Drink Review: Redbreast 21 Year Old

The oldest expression from Redbreast so far, this is a combination of malted and unmalted barley matured in a mixture of bourbon barrels and first-fill oloroso casks, resulting in a rich and complex whiskey.

Redbreast 21 Review:

Redbreast 21 Review: 10/10

After Saturday night, I wasn’t the one with the worst hangover in the world, but I was close. The next morning, I was still feeling somewhat rough, but I quickly had a large mug of Redbreast in hand that I sipped slowly and savored very slowly.

The Redbreast goes down with a smooth and creamy oak, followed by a sweet spice, something earthy like peat. There was a slight build-up as it went down, but the sweet oak that mellows the bourbon underneath lingers on the palate, like a good Highland single malt where the oak mellows with the whiskey.

The flavor of the buttered popcorn at the top of the glass was the only thing that let me down. The smoky, woodiness of the wood from the barrels and the maple syrup did not come through. I believe its because the wood wasn’t from the first- fills, but from the same barrels that were used for the oloroso casks.

The first-fill casks were “sherry-seasoned” before being shipped off for Redbreast. On the front label of Redbreast 21, there is a disclaimer that says, “No wooden elements have been added to this product.” Also, if you take a serious look at how each Redbreast 3-way is bottle capped, you can clearly see that its not ring-sealed. So, the oakiness of the first-fill casks is the only thing from the barrels that is added.

If I buy another bottle of this, I’ll be sure to check the cap for the labeling, just to make sure I don’t get something that is going to completely ruin the liquor.

Overall, this is a very unique and aging Irish whisk(e)y. I recommend it very highly.

Redbreast 21 Review: 

Returning to my condo in the neighborhood afterwards, I did two things. I swigged back some bourbon-like Blue Mountain mix from the brown grocery bag, and I put some Redbreast in the glass half-full of Blue Mountain mix. This whiskey pairing was incredible. The bourbon-like peat of the mix and the sweet, oak of the Redbreast complimented each other wonderfully. It gave my mind an escape from the acrid aromas of the Blue Mountain and the wretched funk that holds onto your pores after those mix bags.

This liquor isn’t suitable for mixed drinks. Its a great digestif if you wanted to retire to your condo, close the blinds and just relax.

Redbreast 21 Review: Compelling.

The oak of the whiskey and the sweet, caramel of the casks added a depth to the sea of sweetness in the Blue Mountain mix. The bitter-sweet of the Blue Mountain gave the liquor a mouthwatering finish of oak, cinnamon, honey, and nutmeg.

It was a great “bedtime drink” where I was able to think about anything good. This Redbreast is very different and veryIrish.

Redbreast 21 Review:

Two very different expressions but both very good. The 21-year old is a great transition expression since it is a combination of the two, which means it is the middle-aged, cheap Irish whiskey that is the lowest quality. The 12- year old is the higher quality, and it is also a combination of malted and unmalted barley. The 12- year old is also a great beginner Irish whiskey, while the 21-year old is the Irish whiskey for those who want to get their Irish whiskey (s) on a budget.

Both are also remarkable concoctions of whiskey and malt, so if you haven’t tried Irish whiskey, give a few different expressions a try and see which is your favorite.

Redbreast 21 Review: High Grades!

Good taste, like a Redbreast 3-way. The good taste really pulled through in the 12-year old expressions, but not so much in the 21-year old.

Both are good Irish whiskeys, and both are good at what they do, but they don’t really have their own flavor. They are great for mixing in with other whiskeys or just sipping on their own.

Redbreast 21 Review:

Whiskey at an affordable price for its quality.

This whiskey is perfect after a hot day on the roof of your condo or house, giving your mind some respite from the heat and funk of the day. And it goes really well with a smoothie.

Redbreast 21 Review:

When I asked David for his opinion on which premium Irish whiskey to include on our behalf, he said that the Redbreast 21, is his favorite.

“It is good, and I like it the best of all the industrial-age Irish grains. I have tried how many thousands of Irish whiskies that all go to waste in the back warehouse of Redbreast? Thousands. It is very impressive. Its only drawback is it has a very limited bottling capacity to a given region,”

Also, if it wasn’t for this Redbreast tasting, I would have never found out how good all those whiskeys that got thrown out are.

Thanks, Redbreast!