Review by: zSolaris
Distillery: Midleton Distillery
Region: Cork, Ireland.
Age: 12 Year.
ABV: 57.2% Cask Strength
Color: 1.4, Tawny.
Nose: (according to the wife) It’s light, fruity, and sweet! There’s some fresh green apple along with lemon sherbet and a pear sorbet.
Palate: Much like the nose teases, this does come off as quite fruity but not in the form of fresh fruits. The taste reminds me heavily of Jolly Ranchers, specifically the fruit punch and lemon ones. It’s nice and sweet. There’s also a note of canned peaches in syrup.
Finish: Medium in length. Honey and those canned peaches in syrup are the main notes.
Conclusion: A couple years ago, when I reviewed the regular Redbreast 12 year a few folks commented that I needed to try the cask strength version of it indicating that it was a far superior whiskey. I have to say, I have to agree with them. The regular 12 year old didn’t have a whole lot going on for it, other than this weird “metallic” note and a bit of sweetness. This version, however, comes packed with flavor with those sugary candy fruits. The nose is delightful, it tastes of nice sweet fruits, and the finish is pleasant. If you’re in the US looking for a tariff-free fruity whisky fix, this would definitely do it!
Final Score: 82.
Scoring Legend:
- 95-100: As good as it gets. Jaw-dropping, eye-widening, unforgettable whisky.
- 90-94: Sublime, a personal favorite in its category.
- 85-89: Excellent, a standout dram.
- 80-84: Quite good. Quality stuff.
- 75-79: Decent whisky worth tasting.
- 70-74: Meh. It’s definitely drinkable, but it can do better.
- 60-69: Not so good. I might not turn down a glass if I needed a drink.
- 50-59: Save it for mixing.
- 0-49: Blech.
Malt Runners 
