Redbreast 18 Year Old

/ / Irish Whiskey, Review / ,

Redbreast 18 Year Old
Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey

46% ABV
$180-$280
Website
Redbreast 18 Year Old Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey

What the Distillery Says

The World’s Most Awarded Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey is delighted to unveil a new permanent addition to its esteemed family: Redbreast 18 Year Old. A bold expression made even more unique by the addition of cream sherry casks in the aging process.

Matured by our Master Blender in a combination of ex-bourbon barrels and casks seasoned with the finest oloroso sherry, cream sherry and ruby port to elevate Redbreast’s Single Pot Still Whiskey to new heights. Bursting with berry fruit aromas, hazelnut chocolate tones, and caramelized stone fruit sweetness, our latest addition introduces a captivating array of new flavors that complement that signature Redbreast taste.

Tasting notes
The tantalizing addition of cream sherry casks from the esteemed Antonio Páez Lobato cooperage, rarely seen before in Redbreast whiskey, along with the portfolio’s more traditional cask profile, promises a tasting experience both new and familiar.

NOSE: Delectable berry fruit aromas of ripe blackcurrants and raspberries accompanied by sugar glazed cherries and dried fig. Indulgent tones of hazelnut chocolate and caramelized stone fruits with warming and fragrant notes of toasted almonds and cinnamon, nestled alongside polished oak and worn leather.
TASTE: Full-bodied and rounded, with the oak tannins complementing the decadent sweetness of sun-kissed grapes and autumnal fruits. Vibrant spices of freshly peeled ginger and hints of liquorice weave amongst the wine seasoned oak influences of dried fruits, dark berries and orange peel.
FINISH: Rich and lasting. The pot still spices, fruit and oak slowly fade harmoniously, showcasing the balance of this wonderfully complex whiskey.

What Gary Says

Nose: Rich, fruit salad with pears, apples, peaches and cherries; almond biscotti and pot still spice notes.
Palate: Jammy with blackberries, raspberries and cherries; caramel glazed coffee cake, nutmeg, bit of ginger, pepper spice and a hint of grapefruit.
Finish: Moderately long with fruit notes, oak and trailing spices.
Comments: Redbreast was my first Irish whiskey crush, and the 12 year cask strength still holds a special place in my heart to this day. This is a lovely, nuanced, mature dram. While it doesn’t need any water, adding a couple of drops brought out some floral notes on the nose, and on the palate tamped down the pepper spice and ginger a bit. While I really enjoy this, I’d bet that at a higher ABV this would knock it out of the park (but if you read many of my reviews, this will not be a surprise!)

Rating: Stands Out/Must Try

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Gold Spot The Generations Edition 13 Years Old

/ / Irish Whiskey, Review /

Gold Spot The Generations Edition 13 Years Old
Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey

46% ABV
$175-300
Website
Gold Spot The Generations Edition 13 Years Old Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey

What the Distillery Says

The latest addition to the Gold Spot’s series is a thirteen-year aged whiskey, once again championing the use of wine casks in whiskey, transcending tradition, and demonstrating the harmonisation of heritage and innovation. The extraordinary expression marries Gold Spot’s established use of ex-bourbon and ex-sherry casks, with a unique maturation in Valpolicella Riciotto Italian wine casks for 16 months. This final maturation elevates Gold Spot’s subtle spice notes, with the red wine adding layers of dark fruits, berry compote and creating a softly textured sweetness, finishing with a touch of oak and sweet wine. This special whiskey, the perfect balance between Irish whiskey and Italian wine, celebrates the exceptional story of seven generations of the Mitchell family, guardians of Spot Whiskey and one of Ireland’s premier wine families.

Matured in casks sourced from the Secondo Marco winery of Italy, which infuses this Gold Spot expression with distinctive floral and wine-driven notes.

Nose: Red apples and dark fleshy fruits at first, accompanied by fragrant blossom notes with sweet and woody undertones. Spices of clove and light dustings of nutmeg along with subtle hints of almond slowly come to the fore, complementing the fruits.
Taste: Luscious and sweet with generous servings of red berry compote, toffee apple and raisin. The wine seasoned casks and oak continue to impart delicate tannins, working in tandem with the pot still spices and fruits, while the sweetness adds further intricate flavours, balancing this wonderfully intriguing whiskey.
Finish: Lingering finish which sees the oak slowly fading, allowing the sweet wine and pot still spices to have the last word.

What Gary Says

Nose: Grains, apples, sultanas, honeysuckle, subtle baking spices and notes of sweet (ice?) wine.
Palate: Creamy mouthfeel with caramel, dried fruits (especially berries), butterscotch, honey, oak, nutmeg and a hint of cinnamon.
Finish: Moderately long with honey, spices, wine notes and oak.
Comments: A completely solid Irish whiskey, where the wine cask maturation is quite evident. Nothing objectionable other than the price. For my palate, Irish whiskey often is more subtle and nuanced (although then when you get one that’s intense – it really stands out), and this fits into that bucket. A delightful dram to sip and ponder.

Rating: Stands Out

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Redbreast Missouri Oak Edition

/ / Irish Whiskey, Review / ,

Redbreast Missouri Oak Edition
Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey

50.5% ABV
$200
Website
Redbreast Missouri Oak Edition single pot still Irish whiskey

What the Distillery Says

From The Heart Of The Ozarks
Redbreast Missouri Oak Edition, the latest addition to Redbreast’s esteemed American Oak series, seamlessly blends the signature Redbreast single pot still whiskey profile, aged in sherry and ex-bourbon barrels, with the unique and distinctive influence of Missouri Oak. The whiskey was meticulously finished for ten months in Virgin Missouri Oak barrels, the oak sourced from the esteemed Ozark Forest, to bring a captivating twist to the renowned Redbreast liquid.

Tasting notes
NOSE: Generous waves of sweet toffee apple and vanilla at first, closely followed by ripe blackcurrants and black cherries. The American oak enhances the pot still spices with additional notes of cinnamon and ground ginger, while nutty undertones akin to pecan pie linger gently in the background.
TASTE: Rich with oak tannins that slowly subside, giving way to the luscious and creamy texture of this wonderfully balanced pot still whiskey. The sweetness continues to build in tandem with spices of cinnamon, nutmeg, and black peppercorns along with rich berry fruits and vanilla cream.
FINISH: Satisfyingly long, with the nuttiness and pot still spices lingering for a time before finally yielding to the oak.

What Gary Says

Nose:  Honeysuckle, vanilla, floral with berries, currants, cereal malt, leather and tea.
Palate:  Chocolate, apple, cherry, caramel, cinnamon, honey, vanilla and oak.
Finish:  Moderately long with pot still spices and honey.
Comments:  This is a solid, delicious Irish whiskey. I found that giving it more time in the glass helped it quite a bit (poured and nosed neat, it was fairly plain). My challenge is the price tag on this one. I get it – the days of my buying Redbreast 12 Year Cask Strength for $65 are long since over, but for a non-age stated Irish that doesn’t blow me away (like the 12 year cask strength reliably does), it would leave me wanting.

Rating: Average/Stands Out

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Stoll & Wolfe Pennsylvania Pure Rye Whiskey Single Barrel Cask Strength

/ / Review, Rye Whiskey / ,

Stoll & Wolfe Pennsylvania Pure Rye Whiskey
Single Barrel Cask Strength

53.5% ABV
$70
Website
Stoll & Wolfe Pennsylvania Pure Rye Whiskey Single Barrel Cask Strength
We would like to thank Stoll & Wolfe Distillery and The Whiskey Bard for sending us a sample to review.

What the Distillery Says

Stoll & Wolfe recently released one of its most intriguing expressions to date: a single barrel Pure Rye Rye Whiskey that acts as the distillery’s unique interpretation of the historic Monongahela style. Crafted from a 100% rye mash bill of 80% Rosen rye and 20% malted rye, this whiskey is truly a must have offering for a number of reasons.

The all rye mash bill, rooted in historic, pre-Prohibition rye traditions, draws its locally grown Rosen rye from the Kline Family Farm, a 1741 heritage farm sharing direct family ties with the distillery team. Made through a sweet mash fermentation process, the art of crafting Pure Rye calls upon carefully considered production methods emphasizing spice, structure and grain character.

“Our Single Barrel Pure Rye is our homage to the historic Monongahela style,” said Erik Wolfe, co-founder and distiller at Stoll & Wolfe, “reflecting the methods and spirit of Pennsylvania rye, with a focus on bold spice, balance, and a distinctly regional character.”

Aged for approximately 34 months in a new, charred American oak barrel built from the finest in air-dried staves, this single barrel whiskey is bottled at a cask strength 107 proof. It showcases bold rye spice balanced by dark fruit on the nose, leading to a palate rich in black cherry, cocoa, marzipan and baking spices. The finish is dry and very well structured.

Priced at $70 per 750 ml bottle, the Stoll & Wolfe Pure Rye Whiskey is available now from the Stoll & Wolfe website, or available for pickup in the distillery’s tasting room. Future releases of this whiskey will be made available down the line when the distillery team feels they are ready to bottle.

What Gary Says

Nose: Figs, grilled peaches, mint, vanilla, a hint of tarragon and cloves.
Palate: Thick mouthfeel with figs, cherries, dark chocolate, pepper, cinnamon, mint, cloves, honey and vanilla.
Finish: Moderately long, drying with baking spices and cocoa.
Comments: I’ve long been a fan of 100% rye mashbills (and not a ton of them out there), but this is rather unique with 20% malted rye (not to mention the sweet mash; again – not a lot of that out in the market!) This is fruity, but not with the citrus lean that you often associate with rye. Only 34 months old, I enjoyed each sip and hope that they’re keeping some back to mature further. If you’re a rye fan, and looking for a unique pour – would recommend seeking a chance to try this!

Rating: Stands Out/Must Try

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Benriach The Thirty Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky

/ / Scottish Whisky, Speyside / ,

Benriach The Thirty
Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Four Cask Matured

46% ABV
$800-$900
Website
Benriach The Thirty Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky

What the Distillery Says

This exquisite single malt has been crafted from peated spirit and four cask matured for at least thirty years in sherry casks, bourbon barrels, virgin oak casks and port casks from the Douro Valley. During long maturation Benriach’s sweet Speyside smoke mellows and integrates with the fruit, malt and oak. After thirty years, rich layering develops into sublime honeyed smoke, further enhanced through multi-layered cask maturation. The whisky from each cask type, imbued with particular flavour characteristics, is then expertly married together to create an exquisitely harmonious single malt, layered with dark fruits, rich walnut and velvety oak spice with a long, complex, smoked honey finish. All in perfect balance.

TASTING NOTES
COLOUR: Mahogany
NOSE: Stewed plum, baked orange, smoked walnut and cinnamon cocoa
PALATE: Dark fruit, manuka honey and chocolate raisin, with a long and complex smoked honey finish
SMOKE LEVEL: Complex

RACHEL BARRIE – MASTER BLENDER: “The Thirty has an incredible intensity of flavour but also exceptional refinement. The deepest, richest expression of Benriach on every level.”

What Gary Says

Nose: Fruit notes with figs, raisins, currants, orange, leather, hint of smoke with a nuttiness.
Palate: Dark fruit notes of raisins and plums, honey, chocolate, peaches, cinnamon and a bit of peat smoke.
Finish: Long and damp with fruity floral notes, faint spice and just a wisp of smoke.
Comments: This is a quite nice, mature, and elegant single malt. With this kind of age, you expect depth and nuance which this delivers. With a few drops of water, the nose brings forward more orange notes and a bit of cedar, while on the palate the mouthfeel thickens and becomes creamier. All that said, it isn’t intense with the flavor – and the price point is ridiculous. But if someone is offering a pour, nothing objectionable in the glass – this is a nice dram to sit and ponder with.

Rating: Average/Stands Out

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