Redbreast 12 Years Cask Strength (2022)
The Midleton distillery's 12-years Redbreast bottling is bottled annually in cask strength batches in addition to the 40% strength bottling. The cask strength bottling is also triple distilled in copper pot stills and matured in a combination of bourbon matured American oak casks and oloroso sherry matured Spanish oak casks before being bottled with no added colouring and non-chill filtered. Did you know? The robin is one of the few small birds that also winters in Ireland. The bird species is the eponym for this Irish whiskey.
The panel
Mean 89.5 · spread 5
Value for money 5/5
- Distillery
- Midleton
- Type
- Single Pot Still Whiskey
- Country
- Ireland
- Age
- 12 years
- Strength
- 58.1% ABV
- Character
- mellow
Tasting
Nose
Wow! Dried fruit, chocolate and vanilla opens up a manifold world of flavours. It feels like every twist of the whiskey is unique. Once we perceive dominant citrus aromas, the second time roasted aromas, light oak and some caramel. A little later, a rich fruit basket follows. Suddenly, some banana comes through, here and there a drop of honey and a gentle hint of cinnamon. The whole thing reminds us of a 5-star hotel breakfast with a gigantic selection.
Palate
Incredibly rich, the Single Pot Still has a lot to offer and the image of a hotel breakfast also fits here. The taste is dominated by cinnamon buns and crepes with cinnamon sugar. They are joined by hay, a little toasted white bread, nutmeg and a super exciting fruitiness. We also find honey. Almonds, Brazil nuts, vanilla and light oak spice round off the velvety smooth taste experience. The approx. 60% ABV is perfectly integrated, so that the alcohol as a flavour carrier brings out and presents the flavours cleanly.
Finish
The long finish of the Redbreast 12 CS is dominated by roasted dates, hay, some milk chocolate, subliminal spicy oak and dried fruit.
Verdicts
Marcel
This Redbreast 12 Year Cask Strength is a genuine taste experience that’s a lot of fun and delights with its rich variety of aromas. For under 70 euros, you get a true Irish whiskey gem that turns every sip into a little celebration – a must-have for connoisseurs who love character.
Sascha
With its balanced interplay of cask strength, fruitiness, and spice, this Redbreast 12 CS demonstrates impressive balance and complexity. Despite the intense 58.1% alcohol, it feels structured and clean, though it falls just a bit short compared to the absolute top tier.
What it is worth
We do not yet hold bottle-level auction results — that sits behind Whisky Hunter’s authenticated feed. What follows is the market for Midleton as a whole, which sets the weather for this bottling without pricing it.
Latest mean bid £342 across 192 lots · 2024-08