The Redbreast Single Pot Still Whiskey is the quintessential Irish whiskey. This mild, fruity whiskey epitomises the soul of Ireland like no other. Single pot still whiskey is a type of whiskey that only exists in Ireland. With its typical Irish triple distillation, it is particularly soft and creamy. Try the Redbreast 12 year old now and experience Irish tradition!

About Redbreast

What makes Redbreast so special? Redbreast is a traditional and high-quality whiskey brand from Midleton. The Midleton Distillery is probably less familiar to you than the whiskey brands that are produced there. First and foremost is the Irish whiskey classic Jameson. Jameson is a blend of Irish grain whiskey and Irish single pot still whiskey. Pot still whiskey is a type of whiskey made from malted and unmalted barley. It is only available in Ireland and provides Jameson with flavour and depth. Redbreast is this component in its purest form. A triple-distilled single pot still whiskey. The heart of the Irish whiskey industry. Unfortunately, there are very few single pot still whiskeys left today. This is because the Irish distillery landscape was almost extinct by the middle of the 20th century.

With Redbreast Single Pot Still Whiskey, you can revive and enjoy Ireland's whiskey tradition. The soft, creamy whiskey impresses with great flavours of vanilla, coconut and many fruity notes in the taste. Most Redbreast bottlings contain a proportion of whiskey from sherry casks, which gives it subtle spicy notes and dark fruits.

3 reasons to love Redbreast

1) Because the single pot still is such a rare type of whiskey.

2) Because it is a delicious temptation.

3) Because it could hardly be more Irish.

What does Redbreast Whiskey taste like?

Redbreast is a soft whiskey that also has delicious spicy notes. This is an exciting speciality of the single pot still whiskey. A grainy, nutty and sweet basic character is skilfully combined with ex-bourbon and ex-sherry casks in Redbreast. The triple distillation process makes it particularly smooth. Redbreast Whiskey has extracted wonderful vanilla, caramel and coconut flavours from the ex-bourbon barrels. Flavours of strawberries with whipped cream and forest berries come from the sherry casks. Sounds good? Then go straight for the Redbreast 12 year old!

Recommendations in the Redbreast range

The Redbreast 12 year old is the flagship of this special Irish whiskey. You can't avoid this classic if you want to try all the representative whiskies. This whisky should not be missing from an Around The World whisky tasting. With its 40% vol. the Redbreast 12 year old is particularly mild and therefore also a wonderful beginner's whisky. You'll have your friends hooked on whiskey in no time.

The Redbreast Lustau is a variant with a higher proportion of sherry. This means that more sherry casks were selected for this bottling than for the Redbreast 12 year old. The oak casks in which the Spanish Oloroso sherry previously slumbered come from the renowned Bodega Lusta. You will find delicious notes of dark fruit, dates, figs, liquorice and light roasted notes in the Redbreast Lustau. Sounds tempting, doesn't it?

The Redbreast 15 year old is the upmarket version of the Redbreast range. In contrast to the Redbreast 12 Year Old, the Redbreast 15 Year Old is bottled at 46% vol. and not chill-filtered. In addition to its advanced age, this also gives it stronger flavours. Go for it if you want deep, rich flavours and the finest spicy notes. Finely balanced notes of berries and essential oils as well as a soft and noble mouthfeel are convincing with the Redbreast 15 year old.

Do you like it strong? Then the Redbreast Cask Strength 12 years is the right whiskey for you. This premium pot still whiskey doesn't do things by halves. With a cask strength of between 55 and 60% by volume, it brings the full potential of pot still whiskey to your palate. The Redbreast Cask Strength 12 Year Old is released in batches. The alcohol strength therefore varies from batch to batch. This is noted on the label, e.g. "Batch No. B1/21" means batch 1 in 2021. Intense, sweet notes of marzipan and caramel jump out of the glass. On the palate, the Redbreast Cask Strength 12 Year Old ignites a flavour firework with notes of dried fruit, tropical fruit, light citrus notes and a variety of spices. Getoasted oak, vanilla and oak round off the whiskey. A real hit!

The Redbreast 21 year old represents the luxury segment of the brand. A real whiskey to indulge in. Here you can explore the full depth and complexity of Redbreast. The Redbreast 21 year old spoils you with nutty notes, tropical fruits and a sublime composition of tannins and spices. Whether you are talking about sherry whiskies, pot still or Irish whiskey, this is the top class! Only the Redbreast 27 year old can top this flavour experience. However, the Redbreast 27 year old has become even rarer than the robin.

How is Redbreast whiskey made?

Redbreast is produced in the Midleton Distillery in the south of Ireland in County Cork. It is one of the very few remaining single pot still whiskeys in Ireland, an endemic whiskey variety, so to speak. Irish Single Pot Still Whiskey is only available in Ireland. What exactly is pot still whiskey? Pot still whiskey is produced in almost the same way as single malt Irish whiskey. The only difference between single malt and single pot still whiskey is the grain composition.

While single malt must be made from 100% malted barley, single pot still is made from malted and unmalted barley. There are historical reasons for this. This method of producing whiskey developed around 1785 in order to avoid some of the taxes imposed on malted barley. The whiskey once known as pure pot still thus became a popular type of whiskey. The term single pot still is relatively new and, as with single malt, refers to the origin of a pot still whiskey from just one distillery.

In the case of Redbreast, this is the famous Midleton Distillery, where the legendary Jameson Irish Blended Whiskey is also produced. The exciting thing: Jameson is a blend of pot still and grain whiskey. This means that with Redbreast Whiskeys you can basically taste the Jameson fillet. Distillation takes place in the largest pot stills in the world. The copper stills at Midleton Distillery have a capacity of 75,000 litres. The water for Redbreast comes from the River Dungourney, which flows directly through the distillery site.

Redbreast is triple distilled. The triple distillation is one of the major differences between Scotch whisky and Irish whiskey. Even though there is a whole range of double-distilled Irish whiskeys available today (Connemara, Tyrconnel, Waterford). However, triple distillation is still a hallmark of Irish whiskey. As a triple-distilled single pot still whiskey, this makes Redbreast a picture book Irish whiskey.

The history of Redbreast

The story of Redbreast begins in 1857 with the London wine merchant W & A Gilbey. Success quickly materialised and the company expanded. By 1861, W & A Gilbey already had branches in Dublin, Belfast and Edinburgh with their own barrel warehouses. In 1866, the company moved to Dublin, where it caused a sensation with its own pot still, bottling plant and the then rare wax seals on the bottles. Spirits quickly became an important part of W & A Gilbey's portfolio. By 1874, the company already had 300,000 gallons of whiskey in its own warehouses. The whiskey comes from various whiskey distilleries. At this time, Dublin is the international centre of whiskey production. W & A Gilbey sells three brands of Irish whiskey Castle U P Irish Whiskey 33% under proof, Castle U V Irish Whiskey 17% u.p. and Castle D O Irish Whiskey at cask strength.

In 1875, W & A Gilbey has the world's largest cask stock of Irish whiskey outside the distilleries themselves. In 1887, the good co-operation with the John Jameson & Sons Distillery expands. W & A Gilbey distributes "John Jameson & Son's 'sole make' pure and unblended Irish whiskey". W & A Gilbey supplies Jameson directly with its own wine and sherry casks. These in turn also drive the quality and reputation of Jameson.

In 1903, the predecessor of today's Redbreast whiskey is created. The John Jameson & Son's Castle "JJ Liqueur" Whiskey 12 Years Old is sold with a similar bottle design to Redbreast today. Gilbey's sells its whiskey under the Castle brand name until the 1930s. In 1912, Gilbey's creates the "Redbreast" J.J. Liqueur Whiskey 12 Years Old. He describes the whiskey as one of his favourite brands. This leads to the conclusion that Redbreast had already served as a nickname for this bottling or similar ones. The name Redbreast refers to the Robin Redbreast in English. The name is associated with Gilbey's chairman, who was a great bird lover.

The 1920s were a bitter time for Ireland. It wasn't just the whiskey industry that was starving. The First World War, Prohibition in the USA, Ireland's most important export market, and the Irish War of Independence brought the economy to its knees. Everything is scarce and for many Irish people, buying high-quality whiskey is out of the question. However, there are a few luxury goods in the hands of the intellectuals. Including the odd whiskey or two. Redbreast is also known as "The Priest's Bottle".

In order to avert the demise of Irish whiskey, the three major remaining whiskey producers took a bold step. The former competitors John Jameson & Son, Cork Distillers Company and John Powers merge to form the Irish Distillers Group. 1970: Gilbey's is able to convince the Irish Distillers Group to continue supplying them with pot still whiskey for Redbreast. In the summer of 1971, however, the Bow Street Distillery (Jameson) in Dublin closes its doors.

The last bottling of Redbreast under the Gilbey's banner appears in 1985. Gilbey's finally sells the naming rights to the Redbreast brand to the Irish Distillers Group. After an absence of almost 10 years from the market, Redbreast is reborn in 1991. Production has since moved to the Midleton Distillery, where the fine, triple-distilled spirit is produced. In 2005, the Redbreast 15 year old is launched on the market. The bottling was created in honour of the French importer La Maison Du Whiskey in Paris. Further exciting bottlings followed. The future of Redbreast looks bright. Sláinte!

Figures & Facts about Redbreast

Address: Midleton Distillery, Old, Distillery Walk, Midleton, Co. Cork, P25 Y394, Ireland

Founded: 1912 (Redbreast brand), 1991 (current production at Midleton Distillery)

Region: Ireland, County Cork

Owner: Pernod Ricard

Type: Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey

Smoke: Unpeated/ Unpeated/ Not smoky

Status: active

Capacity: approx. 64,000,00 lpa (litres per year)

Distillation stills: 3 pot stills (75.000 litres), 3 pot stills (in the Whiskey School), 11 column stills

Washbacks: 48

Mashtun: various

Water: River Dungourney

Visitor Centre: Yes

Phone: +353214613594

Website: www.redbreastwhiskey.com