Irish Whiskey

Redbreast Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey Aged 21 Years
46% ABV
$250 to $320
Website

What the Distillery Says:
Redbreast 21 Year Old is the finest representation of the signature Redbreast sherry style. It is the oldest and richest expression of the Redbreast style ever produced; and the 21 year ageing process introduces new levels of depth, flavour and taste to create an inherently complex and ultimately, rewarding whiskey.

Nose: Remarkable aroma spanning fresh tropical fruits, nuts and rich dried fruit.
Taste: Soft vanilla, toasted oak, sherry nuttiness with a dusting of Pot Still spices. Luscious fleshy fruit notes complete the creamy mouthfeel.
Finish: Lingers, seemingly forever, to oak and Pot Still spices and then, the final bow from barley – where it all began.

What Richard Says:
Nose: Weird first niff of spearmint and rubberbands. What was that? Let it open a bit and it’s a great waft of dried fruit and roasted nuts.
Palate: Spicy with a rich stewed cherry flavor that then dives back into more nuts, raw this time. Backing it all is a present but well balanced oak flavor interlaced with subtle sherry influence.
Finish: It finishes very cereal like with raw wet wood and a very present tartness.
Comments: Great Irish, really great Irish. This one is a benchmark for aged pot still whiskey. My only fault with it is the price. When it came out a little over a year ago it was published at $180 by trade publications but I’ve never seen it retail for less than $250. I once heard a rumor of a $215 bottle. I respect the whiskey and Irish Distillers for growing the pot still category but it’s coming out of the gate at inflated Macallan-esque pricing. If it was sub $200 it would be an easy must buy. However, I had to get “my guy” to procure me one to get it for under $300 recently. As good as this is, there is a lot of great whiskey out there for less than $300.
Rating: Must Try

Tullamore D.E.W. Phoenix Irish Whiskey
55% ABV
$54.99
Website

What the Distiller Says:
Today, Tullamore D.E.W., one of the world’s fastest growing Irish whiskeys, is proud to announce the release of a new variant, Tullamore D.E.W. Phoenix. Born by the strength of a town who witnessed the first ever air disaster on record, the new limited edition Tullamore D.E.W. Phoenix celebrates the ultimate courage and optimism of the Tullamore people, who driven by a positive spirit, rebuilt their town, and established the Tullamore Distillery in 1829.

It was May 10th, 1785, when the famous hot-air balloon fire occurred at Barrack Street (now Patrick Street) in Tullamore town. The accident created a huge inferno that destroyed much of the town. In the face of this destruction, the undaunted people of Tullamore rebuilt their town over the following decades, including construction of the Tullamore D.E.W. distillery on the very site of the disaster, and the subsequent introduction of its whiskey to the world. Building on that tradition of courage and optimism, they placed the phoenix symbol in the town’s coat of arms to signify a basic belief – ‘all will be well when you face life with optimism.’

“Tullamore D.E.W. Phoenix pays homage to the incredible spirit of the people of Tullamore and reaffirms our commitment to the town and its people,” said Tullamore D.E.W. Senior Brand Manager, Cindy Wang. “The release of this new whiskey bridges the re-opening of the Tullamore D.E.W. Visitor Centre last year and the expected return of Tullamore D.E.W. to its hometown when our new distillery opens in 2014.”

Tullamore D.E.W. Phoenix packaging features the symbol of the Phoenix from Tullamore’s town crest and adorns streetlights throughout its main streets. The packaging design reflects the revamped styling of the Tullamore D.E.W. Original variant which highlights the heritage of the brand and gives founder Daniel E. Williams’ initials “D.E.W.” more prominence within the brand name. Phoenix is available in elegant gift boxes with cork tops and is perfect for holiday and special occasion gifting.

Tullamore D.E.W. Phoenix just took home a Gold Medal at the 2013 Irish Whiskey Masters for its taste. It is an exceptional whiskey, with mellow complexity, deep leafy, malty notes and smooth vanilla oakiness. It is a limited edition high strength, 55% ABV triple distilled Irish whiskey and finished in Old Oloroso Sherry casks. It is a blend of all three types of Irish whiskey, pure pot-still, malt and grain whiskey. It is non-chill filtered, and crafted to perfection in small exclusive batches. Each bottle is uniquely numbered.

What Richard Says:
Nose: Out of the bottle it’s very light on the nose. A little bit cereal and a wisp of alcohol. A bit of orange zest comes out with water.
Palate: Richer, sweeter, and creamier than regular Dew. It’s like Dew kicked up about four levels. Not watering it down does amazing things to the whiskey. Dark chocolate, vanilla custard, more cereal and a later dose of wood. Water makes it a little sweeter focusing in more on the vanilla custard than anything else.
Finish: Clean and mildly woody. The finish is pretty short. Water opens up the sherry notes in the finish.
Comments: More please! I haven’t reviewed any Dew on Whisk(e)y Apostle and I think I need to correct that in short order. This is a very tasty expression. Lovely sweetness overlaying oak and cereal notes this very Irish and very delicious. The higher proof and non-chill filtering do wonders for the dram. I used to not enjoy higher proofs in my Irish whiskeys because I thought they were too delicate to handle it. Redbreast cask strength and Dew Phoenix are changing my tone. There’s so much more depth here. You really need to try it.
Rating: Must Try

I would like to thank Kimberly and Sonia over at the Susan Magrino Agency for sending over a sample to review.