I promised I would comment on Red Breast 12 Year Old Cask Strength. My first comment, this is my new favorite whiskey!
Whisky Advocate Magazine named this Irish Whiskey of the year in 2012 and they were right! I have always liked the standard Red Breast 12 year old. It is a pure pot still whiskey triple distilled and has an wonderful “oily” feel, and oily is good. Somehow they made a great whiskey, no…fantastic whiskey, better.
Nose: Vanilla creme, although cask strength (bottled at 57.7%) it in not overpowering on alcohol, all-spice and hints nutmeg.
Palate: toffee, raw brown sugar, a hint of sherry and just a hint of alcohol burn to go along with dried fruits like mango’s and oranges.
Finish: very mellow and just the right amount of finish: strong at the beginning and evenly decreasing.
When I heard that this was coming out I could not wait. The Wine and Cheese Place in St. Louis received their bottles in Mid March. And since then, I have already drank almost half my bottle. As I said, my new favorite whiskey. What is really nice about this whiskey is I do not have to add water. And the notes above are without water added. My guess is a few drops of water will really release some flavors, but right now, I’m not interested.
Mark (#1)