One of my absolute stand out whiskies of last year was Redbreast Dream Cask 32 year old. This magnificent single Pot Still Irish Whiskey completely blew me away, and having spoken to several others who have had the privilege of tasting it, I know I’m not alone in my praise. It was launched on World Whisky Day last year, and this year Irish Distillers have followed it up with a 20 year old expression. The Redbreast Dream Cask Pedro Ximénez Edition is a combination of four single cask, single pot still, Irish whiskeys, ranging from 20-33 years old, which have been vatted together and finished in a Pedro Ximénez sherry butt.
The full breakdown is as follows:
Cask 1: 1998 vintage, matured in an ex-bourbon barrel and re-casked into a Pedro Ximénez sherry butt in 2012.
Cask 2: 1995 vintage, matured in an ex-bourbon cask and re-casked into an Oloroso sherry butt in 2012.
Cask 3: 1985 vintage matured in a second-fill ex-bourbon barrel.
Cask 4: 1997 vintage matured in a second-fill ex-bourbon barrel.
Billy Leighton, Redbreast Master Blender, commented on the creation of the whiskey, saying: “Rather than try to seek out another extraordinary cask from the Midleton inventory like the inaugural Redbreast Dream Cask, we set out to create a new Redbreast Irish whiskey like you have never tasted before. The coming together of three exceptional casks, originally destined for Redbreast 21, and a rare Pedro Ximénez butt is a first for Midleton, and the careful balance of sweet, spice and sherry flavours offers a new and complex take on the classic Redbreast Christmas cake flavour profile.”
If this is anything like last year’s whisky, we should be in for a right treat.
Redbreast Dream Cask Pedro Ximénez Edition
20 years old
Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey
924 bottles
52.2% ABV
€380 available exclusively to The Birdhouse members
Nose: Dried cranberries, sticky dates, molasses, dark treacle, and spiced chutney with caramelised onions. Then cinnamon, clove, tea leaves, dark chocolate and glazed walnuts, with earthy, old austere oak.
Palate: Black Forest Gateau fruits, Morello cherries, Danish pastries, rum soaked raisins, sultana cake, liquorice and Fruit and Nut Dairy Milk. Then juicy fruits – overripe pineapple, banana, and lemon. Then blackcurrants, blackberries, more liquorice and rolling oak.
Finish: Rich, syruppy fruits, some blackjacks, baking spices and earthy nuttiness. Firm, dusty oak right at the end.
Overall: Truly sumptuous. The PX influence is really very apparent, but it doesn’t dominate too much – those juicy tropical fruits which are typical of old pot still whisky still surge through on the palate and provide lovely balance to the dram. At cask strength, it’s just wonderful, with intensity, complexity and length – it doesn’t need water at all, but if you do add a wee splash more of those tropical fruits emerge and the sherry notes move into the background. The release of the 32yo Dream Cask last year set a very, very high bar for the rest of the range, but this a fantastic addition to the series. If you want to get your hands on it, you need to make sure you’re a signed up member of Redbreast’s online community, The Birdhouse. This bottling will be released exclusively to members at 3pm on May 27th.
