Redbreast 12 Yr Irish Whiskey

VA ABC- $72.99

Total Wine - $66.99

Class VI - $64.40

ABV - 40%

AGE - 12 years

From the ABC website:  Made from a mash of malted and unmalted barley and then triple distilled in copper pot stills, Redbreast 12 boasts the flavor complexity and distinctive qualities of pot still whiskey. Matured in a combination of bourbon seasoned American oak barrels and Oloroso sherry seasoned Spanish oak butts, the distinctive Redbreast sherry style is a joy to behold in each and every bottle. A complex spicy and fruity aroma with toasted wood notes evident. Full flavored and complex; silky smooth with a harmonious balance of spicy, fruity, sherry and toasted notes. The finish is satisfyingly long, the complex flavors linger on the palate.

I was originally going to feature Writers’ Tears Irish Whiskey.  But, as I’m often finding, between VA ABC, Total Wine in MD, and The Military Exchange not all three will carry the same whiskey or same version of a whiskey.  This is frustrating because you’d like to compare prices and you need the same whiskey to do it.  And so it was with Writers’ Tears.  The final nail in the Writers’ coffin was that the Midleton website didn’t mention the whiskey either.  So.  Now I don’t have a whiskey to feature.  It makes me want to cry.  My tears could fill a bottle of whis---Oh, I get it!  ‘Writers’ TEARS’.  

It’s okay.  No need to cry because the replacement is even better.  Redbreast 12-yr-old is another Irish Distillers whiskey (along with Jameson, the Spots, Midleton, Powers, and a few others) which itself is owned by spirits giant, Pernod Ricard. 

From the Redbreast website:  “Redbreast is the largest selling Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey in the world…Made from a mash of malted and unmalted barley and then triple distilled in traditional copper pot stills, Pot Still whiskeys are characterised (sic) by full, complex flavours (sic) and a wonderful creamy mouthfeel.”

Sure, they misspell a few words, but they Irish know how to make whiskey.  This is a favourite(sic) of mine.  Give it a shot.  Живели!

Cocktail

60 ml Redbreast 

8 mint leaves

7 ml simple syrup

mint sprig & Angostura bitters (for garnish)

STEPS

Take a julep cup or rocks glass and gently muddle the mint leaves in the simple syrup.

Pour in the Redbreast, then fill the glass with crushed ice, packing it in firmly.

Stir until the outside of the cup becomes frosted.

Add more crushed ice on top to create a little ice mound.

Finish by garnishing with a sprig of mint and, if desired, a few drops of bitters.