• Join, for peat' sake

    • red breast 12 year old

    Red Breast 12 Year Old 91
    Distillery
    Red Breast
    Style
    Blended
    Release
    Unspecified
    Age
    12 Years
    Alcohol
    40% abv.
    Region
    Ireland
    Bottled For
    Distillery

    The only aged Pure Pot still whiskey on sale today. Matured for a minimum of 12 years in Oloroso Sherry and Bourbon casks.

    review by zap

    99
    Color
    Copper-Gold Alloy, more Yellow than Red
    Nose
    You pick up: 1. The Oak (which smells like Vanilla) 2. The sweet Sherry and Malt mixing (which smells syrupy-sweet, like maple or honey, as opposed to sugary-sweet) 3. The fermented grain (which smells like rotting fruit, which some call earthiness, and those from the country will recognize as a sort of rotting wet hay or grain smell) 4. A refreshing or "zesty" sour note (which can be compared to citrus, and probably comes from the unmalted grain) 5. I agree that there is a faint note of salt. Overall, all four senses are represented - sweet, bitter, sour and salt. It's quite like how I would imagine a leprechaun would smell.
    Body
    Definitely on the thick end (synonyms include oily, creamy, full or syrupy; and the opposite being thin or watery).
    Palate
    Everything the nose promised. The oaky vanilla comes across strong, as does the sherry-malty sweet mixture, which is a thick or muted kind of sweetness (like brown sugar) rather than cloying. Not harsh in the least, certainly as smooth as any 12-year I have tried and matching many older spirits in this regard.
    Finish
    A long finish, which is very nice, you can still taste it for the better part of a minute after you swallow. It is a warm, sherry-sweet sort of finish.

    Overall I get the impression that the pot still enhances the aging somehow. This is a remarkably smooth, oaky and sherry-oaky whiskey; as Nabokov might say it is "very mature for a twelve-year-old." I also found myself surprised at how much I enjoyed it, when I consider myself such a peat-smoke man. But of course, if I wanted that, why would I add an Irish selection to my bar? This is precisely for those days when I want something different. When you combine it with the fact that the pot-still method was practically invented by St. Patrick, I see no reason to buy any other widely available Irish dram.

    review by brass14

    91
    Color
    amber
    Nose
    Light oak, freshly bailed hay, pears, smoke at the end
    Body
    Full, slightly oily, smooth
    Palate
    Sweet, caramelized brown sugar with banana, there's a really nice earthyness that I can't put my finger on here, citrus at the end and a soft burn
    Finish
    Perfect finish, doesn't wear out its welcome, warming, no harsh burn really smooth

    I tried this whiskey because of the high reviews, I was definitely not disappointed, its perfectly balanced and well rounded smooth and easy to drink, what a treat.

    review by anonymous

    99
    Color
    pale amber
    Nose
    earth
    Body
    thick
    Palate
    the peat bogs of Ireland
    Finish
    warm and zesty

    best I ever had

    review by coloradodram

    89
    Color
    Full gold with orange.
    Nose
    Wet red clay, cooked vanilla pudding, orange/tangerine peel.
    Body
    Oily, medium bodied.
    Palate
    Bread pudding with cinnamon and milk.
    Finish
    Medium warm, so smooth and mellow for a 12 year, dry at the tail end, lasts quite long.

    Dessert in a bottle! Wow...I'm serving this after a Christmas dinner of spiced ham with cloves to celebrate Irish catholics the world over. I've had three different Bushmills expressions, and I'd choose this one in a second over any of them. A better dessert whiskey than most Scottish 12 years...

    review by frombeyond

    88
    Color
    light straw
    Nose
    smells like ahot girl's dorm room with gorgeous malty smell and perfumes.
    Body
    full and oily
    Palate
    unique flavor. Big and very polished
    Finish
    nice long finish

    Good whiskey! It tasted like if someone from europe came over to America and made a single malt (barley) whiskey.

    review by misterbork

    95
    Color
    Amber lager
    Nose
    Ethanol, vanilla, maple sugar
    Body
    Mildly syrupy
    Palate
    Scotch followed by a wonderful praline, vanilla, maple syrup, gingerbread cookies
    Finish
    Sweet, maple syrup, vanilla, bug spray

    This is my favorite Irish whiskey. It has a Scotch-like complexity followed by a wonderful maple syrup-like sweetness. Not cloying like a bourbon, but sweet like a gingerbread cookie. A great dessert whiskey. Highly Recommended!

    review by anonymous

    91
    Color
    Gold
    Nose
    Full and fruity
    Body
    Warm and intense
    Finish
    Hot

    Excellent

    review by saul

    70
    Nose
    Oak, Alcohol, Some salt, Chocolate
    Body
    Wet and Oily
    Palate
    Mild, Tingy bite that diminishes quickly, Caramel flavours.
    Finish
    Cool and clean. Not terribly fascinating.

    It's a nice whisky. I'm not in a real hurry to try it agian though.

    review by colin

    89
    Color
    Pure gold
    Nose
    Smooth sherry notes, Vanilla, Refreshing
    Body
    Full bodied, Wet, Smooth and easy
    Palate
    An immediate explosion of complexity. Sweets, Spice, Vanilla Fudge, Smooth balance
    Finish
    A smooth and rapid fade to a clean cool finish with a hint of vanilla and some sherry left in the end.

    A perfect balance of sherry and vanilla. This is a very good whiskey.

    review by eddie

    95
    Color
    Amber
    Nose
    Tobacco,Honey,Vanilla, Sherry
    Body
    Full, Oily
    Palate
    Sherry, Toffee, a little Spice, Vanilla and a Lot More.
    Finish
    licorice, Long, Spicy,

    This Whiskey was very good, As a matter of fact it's been an hour since I drank some and I think I'am going back for more. As far as Irish Whiskey is Concerned I believe this to be the BEST.