Redbreast 27 Year Ruby Port Finish (Batch 2)

Review by: The Muskox

Through 800 whiskies reviewed, Redbreast 32 Dream Cask remains my single favourite to date. This 27-year-old bottling seems to have been released to capitalize on the Dream Cask’s success. Expectations are cautiously very high.

Distillery: Midleton.

Bottler: Official bottling.

Region: Ireland.

ABV: 53.5%. Cask strength.

Age: 27 years.

Cask type: Initially matured in bourbon and sherry casks, then finished in ruby port casks.

Price: N/A, tasting sample.

Color: Light gold. Natural Color. Non-chill-filtered.

Nose: Sweet and luscious. There’s a sticky coating of ruby port sitting on top, but it hasn’t overpowered everything. Rich juicy fruit – peach, banana, mango, clementine, watermelon. There’s a good dose of that rich single-pot-still buttery character. Cooked honey, sugar cookies, creamy white chocolate, vanilla, toasted coconut, and macarons. French toast drizzled with maple syrup and topped with fresh strawberries. There’s an almost bourbon-like cinnamon spice and wood note.

Palate: Medium texture. EXTREME fruity burst. Passionfruit, tangerine, ripe strawberry, and cream soda. Effervescent to the point of being tingly, almost citric-acid-like. Fuzzy Peaches and blue raspberry Sour Stix. Extra brite and a little grassy. Light oak, then finally buttery.

With a drop of water the fizziness is more controlled, with more vanilla coming in. Arrives with apples. Still grassy and peachy.

Another drop and it’s more floral, with banana and brown sugar.

Finish: Medium-length and fairly light, still fizzy and tropical. Lime candies. Unsalted butter. Light herbs.

Water adds a bit more body, with that banana and brown sugar lingering.

Possible SMWS bottling name: “Zazz, zing, zork, kapowza!”

Conclusion: I can’t help but be disappointed. It does have some elements in common with the Dream Cask, namely the crazy freshness and brightness on the palate. This whiskey takes that to the utmost extreme – I’ve never encountered anywhere near this level of fizziness. It really did taste like sour candy. Unfortunately, for my taste, the port really just turns everything too sweet, and detracts from some of the richer, savourier, aged notes that I loved in the Dream Cask. The nose was excellent, but the finish was unexpectedly short. I’d have loved to review this off of a bigger pour, but after pouring this whiskey a few different times on different nights, I feel pretty confident with this rating. It’s honestly worth trying for that texture alone, but it’s nowhere near the heights of the Dream Cask.

Final Score: 84.

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.

Leave a comment