Redbreast All Sherry Irish Whiskey is what you get when you take some of that excellent triple distilled Redbreast Single Pot Still whiskey and age it in first-fill sherry casks. This is the kind of whiskey I’ve been wondering about for years, the kind of experimentation and trend bucking execution I’ve been dying to see in the industry. It’s also something that I expected to see from some of the newer smaller Irish distilleries and not from one the big established brands. So kudos to Midleton.
I know you can already see the score above and we’ll get into the details below in a few minutes, but before we do I just want to make a note about this and say that even though the Redbreast All Sherry Irish Whiskey only scored a B, it was still an awesome thing to experience and should you get the chance I recommend diving right in. It’s well worth a taste.
Redbreast All Sherry Irish Whiskey Info
Region: Cork, Ireland
Distiller: Midleton (Jameson)
Mashbill: 100% Barley (malted & un-malted)
Cask: ex-Sherry
Age: 16 years
ABV: 59.9%
Cask: 30087
Cask Strength | Non-Chill Filtered | Natural Color
Price: $220
Redbreast All Sherry Irish Whiskey Review
EYE
Ruddy
NOSE
Sherry, nuts, dried citrus peels, dark fruit, vermouth and light notes of cocoa, brittle and a whisper of malt.
PALATE
Sherry, nuts, dried dark fruit, vermouth, cocoa and light notes of toffee and hazelnut syrup.
FINISH
Long and heavily sherried with notes of nuts, dried dark fruit, vermouth, dark sweets, citrus and cocoa spread throughout.
BALANCE, BODY & FEEL
Balanced for a sherry, but unbalanced for a whiskey. Full round body and a thick heavy feel.
OVERALL
Redbreast All Sherry Irish Whiskey is a very nice sherry, but as an Irish Whiskey it falls short because I didn’t taste any of that lovely Redbreast Single Pot Still character in this whiskey. I don’t know if it’s because they used a sopping wet sherry barrel or if it’s just due to the naturally light character of the triple distilled Midleton spirit, but the sherry also covered up all but a whisper of malt on the nose as well.
All I tasted and smelled was sherry because it completely overpowered and dominated the triple distilled Irish whiskey and that’s so sad because the regular Redbreast 15 is such a lovely whiskey. I know this is a single cask so maybe there are others out there that deliver a more balanced whiskey. Regardless, the Redbreast All Sherry Irish Whiskey definitely answers the question of what Midleton SPS would taste like in a first fill barrel; it tastes like sherry.
SCORE: 83-86/100 (B, not consumed at home)
