Redbreast Irish Whiskey is celebrating this year’s World Whisky Day by adding a third limited edition release to its Dream Cask series. The Ruby Port Edition is a marriage of four whiskeys aged for a minimum of 28 years and will be limited to just 912 bottles.
The idea for the new expression arose when master blender Billy Leighton was researching whiskeys for the Redbreast 27-year-old. It was during this time that Leighton discovered a liquid with the potential to join the coveted Dream Cask series. Four whiskeys from a combination of ex-bourbon barrels, an oloroso sherry butt and a ruby port seasoned cask were married in a ruby port cask to create one exceptional liquid.
Bottled at 51.5%, the result is the first Redbreast expression to be fully finished in a single port cask, offering whiskey drinkers a journey from the home of Irish whiskey to Portugal’s illustrious wine region. The smooth and silky whiskey is an amplification of the signature Redbreast style: assertive spices, dark chocolate and cinnamon, and a finish of sweet ripe plums and exotic fruits.
Malt Master Leighton explains: “It’s more than three decades since my predecessors went to the Douro Valley and hand-selected the cask which would become Redbreast Dream Cask 2020. I’m delighted to be able to share its creation with whiskey lovers around the world. “Our third Dream Cask was created with a very significant fortified wine component. This imparts a unique balance of flavors, with less vanilla sweetness and more fleshy fruits that are associated with port.”
It is the first Redbreast expression to be fully finished in a single port cask
Blender Dave McCabe adds: “Because a Dream Cask is not constrained by volume, we have great license to select a unique expression with a bold flavor which couldn’t be replicated in a permanent offering. Thankfully, Billy and I were in absolute agreement that this was the right time to release this year’s Dream Cask.”
Redbreast Dream Cask Ruby Port Edition will be available exclusively through an online ballot hosted on Redbreast’s private members’ club, The Birdhouse. The ballot will be live from 7pm (ET) on Monday, May 25 until 6.59pm on June 2. Successful participants will then be given an opportunity to purchase a 500ml bottle for €490 ($540).
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Tasting notes from Redbreast Irish Whiskey
Nose: Initially abundant with herbs and spices, some lighter notes of rosemary and garden mint combining with cedar and red peppers. Some zesty citrus notes develop into a rich compote of ripe fleshy fruit, melon, kiwi and black cherry on top of marcona almonds. The spicy sweetness of vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg acknowledge the contribution of the oak cask.
Taste: A very rich silky mouthful of assertive spices combined with sweet ripe plums. Dark chocolate and cinnamon notes slowly reveal a luxurious layer of ripe dark fruits which combine with raisins, sultanas and exotic fruits and berries which are typical of the Redbreast style.
Finish: The signature Redbreast mix of fruit and spice is slow to fade.
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