Redbreast 15 Years Review


“Older Does Not Automatically Mean Better”

Country: Ireland
Brand: Redbreast
Type: Single Pot Still Whiskey
Age: 15 Years
ABV: 46%

Colour: Golden Copper

Nose: Like the 12 Years, it needs sufficient time in the glass to open up. All the same, the Nose of the 15 years does not impress me as much as the 12 years did some time ago. It's not bad though with Cereals (Barley, Rye), light Honey, Porridge with Butter and Sugar, light Sherry, Nuts, Dried Fruits, light Acetone, Charred Oak, Milk Chocolate, Espresso, Pear, Apple Vinegar, Citrus Peel, Hay, Brandy, light Vanilla, Dusty Road, Cinnamon and Christmas Spices. The Alcohol is not fully integrated. I must admit I had expected more!

Taste: Bitter-Sweet and quite Spicy with light Sherry, Dried Fruits, Almonds, Papaya Cream with Cassis Liqueur, Banana, Toffee, Vanilla, Oak, Hay, Citrus, Cinnamon, Pepper, Cardamom, Nutmeg, Clove and Licorice.   

Finish: Middle-Long, Spicy and slightly Bitter with Pepper, Cardamom, Aniseed, Nutmeg, Dried Herbs, Herbal Tea, Mint, Licorice and Grapefruit Juice. Some Sweet notes as well with light Vanilla, light Honey and a hint of Milk Chocolate. Some Varnished Oak pops up after a while.

I added a couple of drops of Water and I get a little Peach on the Nose as well. As the Alcohol is less noticeable, the Fruit - and Cereal notes develop better. But Palate and Finish do not benefit at all from the added Water. 

Rating: 83.5  

Nose: 22 – Taste: 20.5 – Finish: 20.5 – Overall: 20.5


General Remarks: The Redbreast whiskey is produced at the Old Midleton Distillery in Cork, part of the Pernod Ricard Group. Jameson is also produced at this complex. Redbreast 12, 15  and 21 are the only aged Single Pot Still Whiskies at the moment, using malted and un-malted Barley in the mash bill. The 15 Y is Triple-Distilled, Non Chill-Filtered and matures in Ex-Sherry - and Ex-Bourbon Casks. The Redbreast 15 I'm tasting today was bottled in 2013 and is said to contain 15-19 Year Old Whiskies. It's not cheap and costs between 80 and 100 US Dollars (August 2015).

Drinking Experience Neat: Good

Conclusion: The Redbreast 12 Years is one of the better Irish Whiskies I have tasted so far. I especially loved the Nose! So I was really looking forward to try its older brother, the 15 years. The Nose of the 15 Years is a lot less complex and more restrained than the 12 Years. When nosing the 12 Years I got an image of a rich Fruitcake while the 15 Years reminds me more of a plate of Buttered and Sugared Porridge. On the Palate and in the Finish the 12 and 15 years have more in common with lots of Spices leading the way. Based on my observations, the Redbreast 15 years is not really worth the extra buck. I at least will stick with the 12 Years for the time being! 

Jan van den Ende                                                                   August 6, 2015

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