Confession… My experience with Irish Whiskey doesn’t expand much further then faded memories of an old friend that liked to order shots of Jamison at the bar and enjoying a few nice Jamison and Ginger Ales during the warm summer evenings. Basically, it hasn’t seemed commonplace to order up an Irish Whiskey on it’s merits of taste alone.

That being said, I wanted to mix things up during last month’s WWR Whiskey Tasting and had run across a few positive comments on other blogs regarding Redbreast Irish Whiskey. Fortunately my favorite local liquor store (Weiland’s Market) happens to carry the 12yr and it wasn’t terribly expensive (roughly $60 bucks).

The Details
The Redbreast 12yr Whiskey comes in a green bottle and has vintage looking label so it’s a nice addition to my shelf. It’s non chill-filtered and distilled at the New Middleton Distillery in Cork, Ireland. It sets itself apart by being one of the few single pot still whiskey brands still being produced today. It should be noted that is also the only single pot still whiskey that has an age statement.

A Few Accolades
Although a few years old, this whiskey has won a few awards including the top prize in its category at the World Whiskey Awards 2010, as well as being named the Irish Whiskey of the year by Jim Murray in the Whiskey Bible 2010, with a score of 96 points.

Parting Thoughts
I really enjoyed pairing this whiskey against some deeper flavored bourbon because it allowed me to really notice the enticing tastes that it had to offer. It has a light, floral, subtle flavor profile (similar to something from Canada) but was a nice change of pace. I definitely plan to explore the Irish Whiskey shelf a little further and all thanks to this enjoyable light Irish Whiskey from Redbreast.