Annual Redbreast Dream Cask Release is Unveiled to Celebrate World Whisky Day
Redbreast Irish Whiskey, produced by Irish Distillers at Midleton Distillery in Co. Cork, has announced the release of Redbreast Dream Cask 2021 to mark World Whisky Day. Hand-selected by Master Blender Billy Leighton, Redbreast Dream Cask Oloroso Sherry Edition will be available in limited quantities exclusively via Redbreast’s private members’ club, The Birdhouse.
Redbreast Dream Cask Oloroso Sherry Edition is a 29-year-old single pot still Irish whiskey that celebrates the signature Redbreast style and represents the fulfilment of a dream held by Master Blender Billy Leighton to share an annual release like no other.
When selecting their whiskey of choice for this fourth release, Leighton and Blender Dave McCabe combined innovation, tradition and time-honoured craftsmanship by vatting together four special whiskeys, aged for a minimum of 29 years in ex-bourbon, sherry and ruby port seasoned casks. The whiskeys were married in a single outstanding Oloroso sherry butt from Jerez de la Frontera in Spain’s Andalusia region and left to mature for a further 15 months to bring an evolution of its characteristic flavours to the Redbreast experience.
The extended finishing time of this magnificent Dream Cask enables the individual wood contributions to come together and take on a wide spectrum of mellow fruit flavours and pot still spices. The result is a luxuriously rich Irish whiskey with notes of dried fruits, herbs and toasted oak and a complex aroma of liquorice, leather and nutmeg reminiscent of Andalusian bodegas. With an ABV of 51.2%, this rare bottling is luscious in flavour with notes of dark brown sugar, succulent berries and vanilla perfectly off-setting Redbreast’s trademark spices.
Master Blender Billy Leighton explains:
“There is no greater joy in my job than to come across an excellent cask while conducting a sensory assessment of our whiskeys. It is from four such outstanding casks that this year’s Redbreast Dream Cask was born. To craft the 2021 expression, we experimented with new ways of vatting, marrying and finishing to create something greater than the sum of its parts and we are delighted with the result. Redbreast Dream Cask Oloroso Sherry Edition is undeniably special and yet unmistakably Redbreast and we are honoured to pass it on to our Birdhouse members.”
Blender Dave McCabe adds:
“The liquorice aromas from the Redbreast Dream Cask 2021 instantly transports us to the bodegas of Jerez, celebrating Redbreast’s relationship with the region for over three decades. Sherry seasoned casks have been at the heart of Redbreast Irish Whiskey since its resurrection in 1991 and we are thrilled that this year’s Dream Cask could pay homage to that iconic relationship.”
Launching for World Whisky Day, 924 bottles of Redbreast Dream Cask Oloroso Sherry Edition will be available exclusively through an online ballot hosted on The Birdhouse. The ballot will be live from 17th to 25th May when successful participants will be given an opportunity to purchase a 500ml bottle for €520.
OFFICIAL TASTING NOTES
AROMA: A rich and complex array of aromas with liquorice, dried fruits and a freshly crushed garden mint character to the fore, while dark berries and delicate touches of orange marmalade build over time, working in tandem with the pronounced aromas of worn leather tobacco leaf and nutmeg. Cinnamon spice and sweet vanilla highlight the intricate nature of the oak, complementing and enhancing the pot still spices.
TASTE: Luscious and full, with succulent berry fruits, soft anise spice and mild tannins. The taste effortlessly evolves with notes of dark brown sugar, vanilla, and raisins adding a sweet element to create balance with the pot still spice, while cinnamon and nutmeg remain constant in the background.
FINISH: Lingering finish with the spices slowly fading allowing the oak and fruit to have the final say.
Additional production information:
Redbreast Dream Oloroso Sherry Edition represents four unique whiskeys that were aged for a minimum of 29 years and then vatted together and left to marry in the Oloroso sherry butt. These include:
- Cask 1- a single pot still Irish whiskey distilled in 1989, matured in an ex-bourbon barrel and re-casked into a ruby port cask in 1995.
- Cask 2- a single pot still Irish whiskey distilled in 1991, matured in a second-fill ex-bourbon barrel.
- Cask 3- a single pot still Irish whiskey distilled in 1991, matured in a second-fill ex-bourbon barrel.
- Cask 4- a single pot still Irish whiskey distilled in 1991, matured in an ex-bourbon barrel and re-casked into a sherry butt in 2011.
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