Here’s Where You Can Buy Redbreast’s New 25-Year-Old Whiskey
If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Robb Report may receive an affiliate commission.
No offense to any other brands or distilleries, but Redbreast is really the best Irish whiskey on the market. There are many others that are very, very good, to be clear, but the single pot still Irish whiskey that this brand makes at the Midleton Distillery, the home of the ever popular Jameson, is the pinnacle on the category. And now you have a chance to try a one-off bottling—a 25-year-old single cask Redbreast that was matured almost entirely in one sherry barrel.
More from Robb Report
A Whiskey Brand Started by the Pappy Van Winkle Family Has Just Been Revived
Taste Test: Booker's New Bourbon Is One of Its Oldest. It's Also One of Its Best.
A Fully Licensed Craft Distillery With Whiskey in Barrels Is up for Auction
This whiskey is available exclusively from the Whisky Exchange, a website where you can find all types of rare and exclusive whiskey (and whisky) in the single malt scotch and Irish categories. The website was acquired by Pernod Ricard in 2021, so it makes sense that an exclusive Redbreast release would be available—the brand is part of Irish Distillers, which is also owned by Pernod. The other whiskeys that are made at Midleton, a giant distillery located just outside of Cork, include Jameson, Powers, the Spots (Green Spot, Yellow Spot, etc.), and Midleton Very Rare. But Redbreast stands out as a single pot still Irish whiskey, meaning it’s made from a mashbill of malted and unmalted barley at one distillery in a pot still and aged in a combination of bourbon, sherry, and port casks.
This new expression, the Redbreast 1997 25 Year Old Cream Sherry Cask, pretty much says it all in the name. It was distilled in 1997 and aged for five years, and then transferred into a cream sherry cask for two decades. If you’re not familiar with that style of sherry, it doesn’t refer to a fortified wine that literally has cream added to it. Cream sherry is a style of sherry that has been sweetened by blending a dry style like Oloroso with a sweeter Pedro Ximenez sherry. According to the official tasting notes, this gives the whiskey notes of ripe fruit, cider, coffee, lemon thyme, dark chocolate, and spiced berry compote.
“Here at the Whisky Exchange we have been championing Irish pot still whiskey for many years and searching out exceptional examples of spirit,” said Chris Bolton, own-label and brand product manager, in a statement. “This old-style single cask from Redbreast exemplifies the exquisite style of whiskey that Ireland has become famous for.”
Another new Redbreast release to check out is the new 18-year-old expression that was released a few months ago. This is a fantastic addition to the range, which was aged in a combination of bourbon, oloroso sherry, ruby port, and in what is probably a coincidence given the age of the Whisky Exchange release, cream sherry casks. That whiskey is available to purchase from ReserveBar now (SRP $250). Just 534 bottles of the 1997 vintage are available to purchase at the Whisky Exchange now at about $575 per bottle.
Best of Robb Report
Why a Heritage Turkey Is the Best Thanksgiving Bird—and How to Get One
The 10 Best Wines to Pair With Steak, From Cabernet to Malbec
Sign up for RobbReports's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
