Whiskey Dreams – Redbreast Lustau Edition

Redbreast 12 Year is one of my all time favorite Whiskeys. After I discovered it I drank two bottles in three weeks with a little bit of help. I have unashamedly fallen in love with Redbreast so I was super excited to try the Redbreast Lustau Edition.

Let’s first break down what it takes to make a bottle of Redbreast Lustau Edition. The whiskey itself is aged for between 9 to 12 years in a combination of Bourbon and Oloroso Sherry casks. The bottle doesn’t carry an actual age statement but I’m going to trust the rumors and my taste buds on this one.

Redbreast Lustau Edition

The Nose

Redbreast Lustau has the base attributes of Redbreast 12 on the nose but then adds in a bit more fruit. It’s not overpowering, but there is a bit more honey and apple on the nose.

The Palate

The mouth feel is clean and crisp. The first touch on my tongue is malt and a touch of dryness that rapidly turns to honey and sweetness on the mid tongue. That sweetness changes to a delicious dryness that really highlights the time spent in the Bodegas Lustau Sherry Casks. There are times I just crave the way this bottle lingers on the finish.

The Score

There are times when I just crave a dram of this Redbreast Lustau. That opening malt and sweetness combined with the dry finish that lingers just the right amount of time earns this Redbreast Lustau a score of 92/100.

Color

Golden Amber

Proof

46.0% ABV

Pros

  • The nose hints at Redbreast’s underlying richness while benefitting from the fruitiness from the Sherry.
  • Reminds me of Redbreast.
  • Obviously, it has Redbreast’s deepness as it first washes over your tongue.

Cons

  • If you don’t like Sherry you may not find this bottle to your taste.
  • The pricing is so strange. At some stores this is more than Redbreast 12, and at others its less. It drives me mad because when I’m craving it it seems like they want $100 bucks for this, but then I’ll see it a week later for $55.
BottleScorePrice
Redbreast Cask Strength97$100 / 750ml
High N’ Wicked The Wild Rover Single Malt Irish Whiskey97$160 / 750ml
Old Forester 1920 Prohibition Style Bourbon96$65 / 750ml
Redbreast 12 Years96$70 / 750ml
Jameson The Distiller’s Safe95$70 / 750ml
Colonel E.H. Taylor Small Batch Bourbon94$45 / 750ml
Redbreast Lustau Edition92$65 / 750ml
Redbreast 1591$115 / 750ml
The Dubliner 10 Year89$70 / 750ml
Tullamore D.E.W. 14 Year81$65 / 700ml
Jameson IPA Edition80$30 / 750ml
Redbreast Kentucky Oak Edition Irish Whiskey80$125 / 750ml
Don Julio 194280$190 / 750ml
Basil Hayden’s75$35 / 750ml
Jameson Irish Whiskey75$25 / 750ml
John L. Sullivan Irish Whiskey72$25 / 750ml
Tullamore Dew Caribbean Rum Cask Finish Irish Whiskey72$30 / 750ml
Bushmills 10 Year Irish Whiskey72$50 / 750ml
Clyde May’s Original Alabama Style Whiskey71$35 / 750ml
Teeling Small Batch Irish Whiskey70$40 / 750ml
Paddy’s Old Irish Whiskey70$20 / 750ml
Kirkland Irish Whiskey65$18 / 1500ml
Wellsley Farms Irish Whiskey65$28 / 1500ml
Drumshanbo Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey62$65 / 750ml
Stillhouse Black Bourbon61$20 / 750ml
Jameson Orange55$30 / 750ml
Buffalo Trace55$25 / 750ml
Jack Daniel’s Old No. 7 Tennessee Whiskey51$30 / 750ml
Knob Creek Small Batch49$35 / 750ml
Blade And Bow48$50 / 750ml
Proclamation Irish Whiskey44$30 / 750ml
The Temple Bar Irish Whiskey40$60 / 750ml
Redemption Bourbon 40$30 / 750ml
Natterjack Irish Whiskey35$35 / 750ml
Baha Founders Reserve30$65 / 700ml
Woodford Reserve29$35 / 750ml
Breaker29$65 / 750ml
Pure Kentucky28$35 / 750ml
Stranahan's27$60 / 750ml
Egan’s Fortitude Irish Whiskey26$45 / 750ml
Winchester Extra Smooth Bourbon Whiskey15$30 / 750ml
Jack Daniel's Tennessee Honey10$20 / 750ml
Hill Billy Bourbon9$20 / 750ml
Fireball Cinnamon Whiskey5$25 / 750ml
The Busker Irish Whiskey4$35 / 750ml
Kavanagh Irish Whiskey3$25 / 750ml
The Balvenie 14 Years Caribbean Cask1$100 / 750ml
American XXX Born Bourbon Whiskey1$25 / 750ml
Pops McCann0$40 / 750ml
Silkie Irish Whiskey0$30 / 750ml

Whiskey Dreams – Redbreast 12 Year Old

I’ve been on an Irish Whiskey journey over the last few weeks, and Redbreast was the next logical step. At the end of the day Friday I had done a little bit of damage to the bottle, and Saturday I spent the day binge watching television with my wife and drinking all afternoon. The end result, by the time I poured a sip to finalize my review today was a bottle that was almost empty.

Redbreast 12 Bottle Progress

I don’t drink beer or wine anymore, but when I did, I usually drank light beer. My dad and brother loved darker beers, but it took me years to try a Golden Monkey by Victory. I remember being shocked at how much flavor the Golden Monkey had compared to regular light beer – and I fell in love. That is the best way to describe Redbreast for me. I just found Jameson The Distiller’s Safe and thought it would take me another year to find something better. So I was both shocked and surprised that I found this Redbreast, and how much fuller it is than The Distiller’s Safe.

Yes, I know that Jameson and Redbreast are both owned by the same French drinks conglomerate Pernod Ricard, which owns Irish Distillers, which in turn produces ten or so other brands of spirits, and I can taste the Jameson heritage in Redbreast. Bottom line though, Redbreast 12 Year is just a fuller, more complex offering.

Since The Distiller’s Safe is a blend, it is very likely I am indeed tasting a bit of it in Redbreast, or maybe it should really be the other way around? Redbreast is a single pot still Irish whiskey, while Jameson is a blend of of both pot-distilled malt whiskey and column-distilled grain whiskey, meaning that Jameson is blending some of what Redbreast is with cheaper column distilled grain whiskey, which also explains the slightly higher price of Redbreast.

You can already guess that I thoroughly enjoyed my first bottle of Redbreast by the damage I did the bottle over just three days, but how did it it rank? It is an award winner after all. Does it hold up?

The nose is rich and nutty with well balanced hints of ginger mixed with a subtle sweetness. The nose hints at greatness to come, and that first sip only fulfills every promise the nose is making. Redbreast is smooth and rich and lingers on the palate in a very enjoyable way. It is both smooth and complex and rich, which is no easy feat, earning Redbreast the highest score so far with a 96/100.

Redbreast 12 Irish Whiskey

Color

Copper and amber.

Proof

40.0% ABV

Pros

  • Clean nose full of nutty richness and sweet cakes.
  • The palate is complex and every time I think I’ve tasted every dimension something else opens up.
  • Blends spice and toffee perfectly.
  • The sherry casks complete the finish of every sip with a subtle sweetness that makes every touch of the lips to the glass seem like the finest dessert.

Cons

  • It makes less expensive offerings taste sub par.
  • I bought the only bottle my local store had.
  • A bit pricey at $80, and worse yet, it is worth every penny. So now I want more!!!
  • I can get it for $60 but it means an hour drive.
BottleScorePrice
Redbreast Cask Strength97$100 / 750ml
High N’ Wicked The Wild Rover Single Malt Irish Whiskey97$160 / 750ml
Old Forester 1920 Prohibition Style Bourbon96$65 / 750ml
Redbreast 12 Years96$70 / 750ml
Jameson The Distiller’s Safe95$70 / 750ml
Colonel E.H. Taylor Small Batch Bourbon94$45 / 750ml
Redbreast Lustau Edition92$65 / 750ml
Redbreast 1591$115 / 750ml
The Dubliner 10 Year89$70 / 750ml
Tullamore D.E.W. 14 Year81$65 / 700ml
Jameson IPA Edition80$30 / 750ml
Redbreast Kentucky Oak Edition Irish Whiskey80$125 / 750ml
Don Julio 194280$190 / 750ml
Basil Hayden’s75$35 / 750ml
Jameson Irish Whiskey75$25 / 750ml
John L. Sullivan Irish Whiskey72$25 / 750ml
Tullamore Dew Caribbean Rum Cask Finish Irish Whiskey72$30 / 750ml
Bushmills 10 Year Irish Whiskey72$50 / 750ml
Clyde May’s Original Alabama Style Whiskey71$35 / 750ml
Teeling Small Batch Irish Whiskey70$40 / 750ml
Paddy’s Old Irish Whiskey70$20 / 750ml
Kirkland Irish Whiskey65$18 / 1500ml
Wellsley Farms Irish Whiskey65$28 / 1500ml
Drumshanbo Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey62$65 / 750ml
Stillhouse Black Bourbon61$20 / 750ml
Jameson Orange55$30 / 750ml
Buffalo Trace55$25 / 750ml
Jack Daniel’s Old No. 7 Tennessee Whiskey51$30 / 750ml
Knob Creek Small Batch49$35 / 750ml
Blade And Bow48$50 / 750ml
Proclamation Irish Whiskey44$30 / 750ml
The Temple Bar Irish Whiskey40$60 / 750ml
Redemption Bourbon 40$30 / 750ml
Natterjack Irish Whiskey35$35 / 750ml
Baha Founders Reserve30$65 / 700ml
Woodford Reserve29$35 / 750ml
Breaker29$65 / 750ml
Pure Kentucky28$35 / 750ml
Stranahan's27$60 / 750ml
Egan’s Fortitude Irish Whiskey26$45 / 750ml
Winchester Extra Smooth Bourbon Whiskey15$30 / 750ml
Jack Daniel's Tennessee Honey10$20 / 750ml
Hill Billy Bourbon9$20 / 750ml
Fireball Cinnamon Whiskey5$25 / 750ml
The Busker Irish Whiskey4$35 / 750ml
Kavanagh Irish Whiskey3$25 / 750ml
The Balvenie 14 Years Caribbean Cask1$100 / 750ml
American XXX Born Bourbon Whiskey1$25 / 750ml
Pops McCann0$40 / 750ml
Silkie Irish Whiskey0$30 / 750ml