Another late add-on to our Irish Whiskey tasting brought us our 8th taster of the evening. Thank god we weren’t overindulging all the way along, because we would have been three sheets to the wind by now. The 8th taster was the Redbreast PX, a whiskey initially casked in Bourbon and Oloroso Sherry casks, before being finished in Pedro Ximenez Hogsheads. The nose was sweet with stonefruit, blackberry and plum. The taste was very sherry forward, super dry, with touches of sweet hay, grass, spiced wood and a bit of charcoal smoke. A very smooth dry finish followed. Another easy sipper from the Redbreast family.
Redbreast Tawny Port Cask Edition
Just when we thought our guided tasting was finishing up, out came our 7th taster, the Redbreast Tawny Port Cask Edition. Released as part of the same series as the Lustau the Tawny Port Cask Edition hit the nose with smoke, cranberry, grape, and a hint of shortbread. The flavour brought forward salted caramel, berry sweetness, and honey and flavours reminiscent of a wine casked whiskey. It had a quick, sweet finish and was another solid non age statement offering from Redbreast.
Redbreast 18
Moving onto the 6th and supposed final taster of the Irish evening brought us to the Redbreast 18. The nose revealed stone fruit and oak wood. The whiskey seemed really oily and coated the sides of the glass, leaving long legs. Flavours of chocolate, orange zest, cherries and creamed sherry swirled on the tongue. The whiskey provided a velvety mouth feel that was sweet and spicy going down with a wonderful lingering finish. An excellent Irish whiskey and one that I would love to have in my collection.
Jameson 18
The 5th taster in our Irish Whiskey evening, the Jameson 18 did not disappoint. The triple distilled whiskey, aged a minimum of 18 years in hand selected American and European oak casks smelled of fresh hay, green apple, honey and caramel. The woody smooth flavour of the whiskey was exceptional, hitting with toffee, brown sugar, and a touch of nutty spice. It all gave way to a smooth, easy finish. Top marks were given all around by the membership, as this dram was enjoyed by all.
Redbreast 15
The 4th taster in our evening of fine Irish whiskey brought us to the Redbreast 15. The nose came through with orchard fruit, caramel and nutty undertones. The flavour starts slowly but builds to include fresh tree fruits, toasted oak, and a touch of spice. It is a well rounded, easy drinker that lingered on the tongue. An overall easy drinker and a fine expression of Irish Whiskey.
Redbreast Lustau Edition
The 3rd taster in our Irish evening was the Redbreast Lustau Edition, which is a sherry cask finished whiskey. The nose has sherry tones, cranberry and red fruit. With the first sip, the sherry washes over you with ripe fruity freshness followed by some nice spiciness. The fruit and spice play nice while the velvety whiskey washes over your tongue. The finish was kind of quick, a tad dry but still very smooth. This taster received rave reviews from most of our club membership. If you can get your hands on a bottle of this, it comes highly recommended.
Redbreast 12 Year old Single Pot Still Whiskey
This was our 2nd taster of the guided tasting with Joe Duffy. The Redbreast 12 is one of their core offerings and is usually available at most LCBO’s. It is a solid dram at a decent price point for Irish Whiskey. One the nose you get lots of red fruit, plum and cherries came to my mind, along with hints of apple, raisins, wood and nuts. Upon tasting it comes across as a very sherry forward taste, with hints of sweet fruit and dark chocolate. The finish is super smooth, not much length to it, and finishes quickly. The Redbreast 12 is an easy drinker, best enjoyed amongst friends.
Green Spot Single Pot Still Whiskey
The first taster in our evening with Joe Duffy brought us Green Spot Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey. The nose was very sweet with hints of green apple, bourbon and honey. It had great texture and mouthfeel with flavours of toffee, floral notes, and apples. A robust feel on the tongue, with a warm smooth finish that lasted a bit, but not too long. A great way to start what became an amazing evening of whiskey, learning and sharing with friends.
The Glenrothes 18 Year Old
Matured only in sherry seasoned oak casks, a high proportion first fill. Bottled at natural colour, with flavours of ginger, rose water, pears and vanilla.
Glenburgie 1964
Nothing like a 46-year-old unicorn to kick off the Club’s new year, and to celebrate 18 years of some damn fine whisky gone before. Unreal to ponder, when this bottle was laid down in a remote dusty Scottish warehouse , most of our parents were only 7 years old!
Glenburgie ’64 was dry, fruity, oaky and such a lovely old timer. Just a few sips of this mellow, subtly sweet dinosaur simply was not enough. A delicate dram for the ages – what a treat! Cheers to 18 years ETKW and to many more fine nectars still to be explored!