Relationships matter, both in your personal life and in the world of spirits. Because of an old friendship, Midleton distillery’s Redbreast brand was able to source casks directly from the famous Bodegas Lustau, out of the city of Jerez in the Andalusian region of Spain. The whiskey in the Redbreast Lustau Edition is aged between 9-12 years in a mix of bourbon and sherry casks (much like the Redbreast 12) before being finished for one further year in Oloroso sherry casks from the winery.
Brand: Redbreast
Distillery: Midleton
Region: Foreign
Age: NAS
Strength: 46%
Price: $68.99
Maturation: ex-Oloroso sherry casks
Type: Single pot still
Location: Midleton, County Cork, Ireland
Nose: Chocolate, cherry, spice
Palate: Dried apricot, chocolate, caramel, butter
Finish: Fruit, spice
Comments: No water is needed. Can be hard to find in some markets.
Adam – The Lustau Edition is a triumph. The selection of very specific sherry casks is a perfect marriage with the base Redbreast spirit (already pretty wonderful) and dresses it up several notches. The sherry is less like an overlay and more like an avenue toward complexity, underscoring the notes already inherent within to make the whole greater than the sum of its parts. The sherry influence doesn’t immediately proceed directly to the obvious either. It doesn’t mask, it heightens. The nose is maybe the most overt aspect of this whisky, offering up a rich array of fruits, spices and desserts. The palate feels a little more streamlined by still rewards with a dry sweet fruit paired with a rich buttery texture that coats the mouth that is thankfully resistive to leaving. The finish, while unfortunately short because of the aforementioned dryness, echoes like smoke across the water, before finally taking root midway down your chest, warming like the recollection of great deeds. That coal of memory lingers long, if you let it.
Jenny – This feels like I should be sipping this by a bonfire. A nice cold weather beverage. I get notes of vanilla on the nose. It has a pleasant, sweet smell that reminds me of baked goods on a crisp autumn day. This is amplified on the palate, where fall spices dance across your tongue and the whiskey warms you down to your belly. This is dessert in a glass, made for sipping in the comfort of good company, which could just be a book, a blanket and a fire.
This is dessert in a glass, made for sipping in the comfort of good company.
Michael – The Redbreast is a delightful whisky that I suspect shifts with the seasons. The nose carries notes of cream and mulled wine and perhaps a hint of orange zest. The palate keeps reminding me of cherry pie with a perfectly toasted crust, rich cherries balanced with citrus and a whipped cream topping. I look forward to seeing what it offers in the fall.
Peter – It does kinda sink in and feels warm. Very enjoyable if you want a sweet, syrupy blanket in the middle of winter. And who doesn’t?
Mary-Fred – The sherry notes are really nice. I think the nose holds up on the tongue. A continuation from one to the other.
Caitlin – The Lustau Edition is like medicine, and then it’s good. It smelled better than it tasted, until it didn’t. Then it was warm and beautiful.
Ben – I like the heat that balances it. I like that it’s very sweet in the nose, like advanced desert. It sticks around in the mouth, like a good host. It dotes.
