whisky review 123 - Redbreast 12yo Pure Pot Still Whiskey

[usquanigo]

For centuries we prospered, with sensibility in all aspects of life. Now we're all insane, completely afraid of everything, and the world is going to hell. Coincidence?

Great reviews btw. Love the background and historic discussion.

[mitchel4121963]

Great review. I was wondering if your familiar with a gin called Broker's? If so, what do you think of it?

[ralfystuff]

@mitchel4121963

Don't know this one !

[boostergold95]

Malt Monkeyshines

[ralfystuff]

@boostergold95

now on the M-mention List !

[Star12121]

These videos rock.

Ive still only seen about 30 of them so far.

[Polyfusia]

I opened a bottle of this today. It's quite green on the nose as you say, with green apple being the predominant scent coming through. With water it opens up and displays a toasted oat quality on the palette, as well as a hint of brown sugar. If I could compare the sipping experience with water to anything, it would be to eating unsweetened apple crisp. The (green) apple is there, the toasted oats are there, and the (subtle and not syrupy or sweet) brown sugar is there. Vanilla and lemon also.

[SeaFaced]

I enjoy your video's so much that I'm now inspired to create a whiskey collection of my own. I've had Connemara and really enjoy the peated whiskeys. Is there a Scotch or Irish that you'd recommend, peated or not, that you just happen to like a lot and is a must for any collection?

[ralfystuff]

@SeaFaced

start with Springbank and look out for any Independent Distillers bottlings which seem to be selling well.

Good luck.

[jadarichart]

Hello Ralfy can you review dalmore 12 year old. I am Jada writing you from Argentina; congrats for being professional and independent. Have a beautiful weekend. Nice Job =)

[ralfystuff]

@jadarichart

no Dalmore review planned at the moment, it's a variable quality Malt.

[C5Rigzz]

Ralfy, is your little Malty Mascot "Gene" a tip-of-the-hat namesake to your friend who did the beautiful hand-painting on glass at your old home?

[ralfystuff]

@C5Rigzz

no, a different Gene, ... not Jean the very talented artist.

[shuboy05]

It seems Irish Distillers Ltd. really want to spoil us this year with single pot still whiskey (it is no longer called pure pot still). Besides the new Powers 12 year old and the Barry Crockett Legacy, Midleton is also releasing... *drumroll* a cask strength Redbreast 12 year at 57.7%.

[Arturr0]

top 5 ever, best Irish IMHO !! 95/100

[deeznutz57]

alot of beer mentioning here.. whats your favorite beers??

[ralfystuff]

@deeznutz57

Brew Dog IPA, BlackSheep and Old Speckled Hen for starters, ... any India Pale Ale or dry Ale.

[deeznutz57]

@ralfystuff thanx any american brews u enjoy??

[ralfystuff]

@deeznutz57

... any real ale along the Pacific Coast Highway, ... Santa Barbara and Monterey stand out as good stops for good beers !

[Polyfusia]

@ralfystuff The beer world is just as satisfying as the whisky world, if you know where to look. The selection in Scotland may not be terrific. Old Speckled Hen is to Aventinus Eisbock what a whiskey blend is to a single malt. There are some truly spectacular beers out there, and they're generally in the same price range as poor quality beers. 3 or 4 dollars a bottle. Also the aroma's on beer are much more easy to identify, without the sting of a high alcohol proof in the way.

[JohnnysCoolStuff]

This is the best Whiskey there is. 100 points!

[monkeytutz2]

The best Irish, possibly one of the top 5 best whisky/es ever

[daikath]

So barley and malted barley together makes the irish whiskey flavorsome... But the combination of regular grain whiskies with malted barley for scotch blends makes it pallatable(sp?) for newcomers... The difference is that the malted barley and regular stuff fermented and distilled together? Am wondering about this difference.

[ralfystuff]

@daikath

... with Scotch, grain and malt are seperatly distilled then blended, mostly after maturation.

[johnnytwomey]

@ralfystuff Hello, to answer your question, 12 year old Redbreast is triple pot stilled in copper pots, always has and always will be. I work for Irish Distillers. Hope that answers your question. Apologies on IDL's behalf for not emailing you back. Great review but i give redbreast at least a 99/100 :)

[DjNayrobi]

wow your notes are really awesome .. i really can smell and taste the kiwi now .. excellent !

[TheAnonymousrogue]

I had the pleasure of trying this at a pub, Was the best Irish Whiskey I have ever had! I have bought a bottle and am still enjoying it. I will make this my go to Irish whiskey for sure! Stay Classy Ralfy <3 Your Reviews!

[LaphroaigPhan]

Seems like you had a few too many in this one Ralfy (we all do sometimes don't we?), great review as always though! I will be buying this sometime before St. Patricks day, Bushmills and Jameson every year gets old. Thank you for all your reviews sir!

[ralfystuff]

@LaphroaigPhan

... that's me sober !

[roamingmadnessify]

Red breast was a LOT sweeter than i expected. Not as sweet as bourbon, but i found it to balance out the greener notes and over all one of the smoothest drinks i have had. Its so good you forget you're drinking it straight.

[jreno78]

hahaha. just when i thought i found a whisky you didnt review! i will find one ralfy! and when i do, it will be a good one!

[EvanDavid666]

Great review Ralfy as always! Just wondering if you are planning, or have already, reviewed any of the Arran Malt whiskies. I've tried the 10 year old non-chill fiultered and though it was quite good but I'd love to see your take on it

[ralfystuff]

@EvanDavid666

... Arran Malt reviews next year !

[EvanDavid666]

@ralfystuff Great I've been sampling the 10 year old recently and I find it to be quite good. I'm only recently getting in to Scotch and I have found your reviews quite helpful!

[Conchobhar]

I like twelve year olds.

[Bulldog22031]

I would probably give it a bit of a higher mark around 88 or 89; it's one of my favorites.

Different strokes.

[shuboy05]

Hmm, I've been reading the reviews of Redbreast 15 year old (the newest bottling) and it seems that though the reviewers agree it is a fine whiskey, it's unable to match the magic of the 12 year old. Meanwhile reviewers have noticed that the 2010 batch of 12 year old has gotten better than previous years. Not surprisingly people on the forums have begun wondering how much better Redbreast 12 yr. old might be at 46% abv like its older brother.

[ralfystuff]

@shuboy05

... some good points here and well presented.

[ReevesyJR]

As I.A.W.A has stated it's triple distilled.

To shed some light on the subject, this is essentially old school pot stilled Jamesons that was sold to Gilbey's wine merchants and they acted as an independent bottler right up until the late 80s and was bottled as Gilbey's Redbreast.

I've tried both the 12 and 15 year, and I have to say that I wish I could try the 12 year at 46% like the 15 year or even at cask strength. The higher ABV definately adds something to the 15yr.

[ralfystuff]

@ReevesyJR

... absolutley, higher ABV always helps. 

[shuboy05]

Woah, I just found a press release that Redbreast 15 year old is FINALLY getting a US release starting this month. Now I need to keep my eyes peeled.

Ralfy, what are your thoughts on the 15 year old?

[ralfystuff]

@shuboy05

... worth a try, but the 12yo is 'fresher' in style which suits Pot Still style

[shuboy05]

@ralfystuff

Can I ask when you purchased your bottle of Redbreast? As some reviews have noted the 2010 batch of Redbreast has been better than previous years.

[ralfystuff]

@shuboy05

.... 2009 

[shuboy05]

@ralfystuff

Oops, I forgot to mention that the bottling date should be etched somewhere on the bottom of the bottle. My presently open bottle was also bottled in 2009 but I just purchased a new bottle of the 2010 batch (these also have a sticker added to the box touting Best Whiskey of 2010 Jim Murray).

[shuboy05]

Besides Green Spot and Redbreast, Jameson also sold a 15 year old pure pot still whiskey a few years back. Since it was a limited run, that whiskey is nearly impossible to find today.

[bjoern54]

Greetings from Denmark.... Interesting review :) I recently tasted this whiskey - and loved it. I haven't tasted that many whiskies yet but this is easily one of my favourites alongside the 12 year old Jameson..... Looking forward to seeing some more of your videos.

[wioletta01]

Nice to see you review some of the Irish whiskeys. My favourite is Laphroaig...I just love the peaty smoky flavours. I like Red Breast, in fact I prefer Irish whiskeys to Scotch.........In general.

[Ichnos76]

@wioletta01 Laphroaig is a whisky from SCOTLAND.

[GreenFalc0n]

Alcohol only sanitizes by evaporation, there is no way a 5-6% BEER has any sanitizing/sterilizing qualities.. The only reason it was in GENERAL (compared to shit water)sterile was because the wort/water used to make BEER was BOILED.

I have now lost interest in your reviews as clearly you are full of shyt?

Research your shit before trying to sound intelligent you bum.

[Eventualdecline]

I happened to like this whisky, not so much my favorite or anything, but a nice change from the normal highland malts I've been having. The notes are a bit different as I can pick out the butterscotch and peppery flavors right away, then moves into a citrusy salty note right after with a pinch of smoke and a super long finish. This kind of reminds me of combining a bouron and scotch together into something that is pleasant and tasteful.

[Dotsirammi]

Awesome!With history on it,brilliant!!It is shame, here is not able to get all marks.

[IAmWanderingAengus]

Ralfy,

to answer your question, Midleton head distiller Barry Crocket was in Dublin late last month giving a talk on PPS whiskey and Redbreast is in fact triple distilled. Apparently the unmalted barley often needs the 3rd distillation to make it reveal itself while double distilled pps tends to be intensely lathery (even triple distilled pps is already quite oily) It was this practice that led to the association between ireland and triple distillation, a myth that has carried over into malts

[ralfystuff]

@IAmWanderingAengus ... thanks for that information I.A.W.A.  this helps fill the gap left by a e-mail question I sent to Jameson which got no response.

[FieldMarshallFunk]

I can add to what IAWA says Ralfy. Redbreast is definitely triple distilled like all the major historical Irish Whiskies that have survived. Not to be wasted eh! Have you tried the Redbreast 15yr old, non-chill filtered, bottled at 46% by the way? Also, I'm sure sure if you've noticed over the last few years, but the Pot Still content in Jameson is definitely rising up bit by bit. It's as if they're slowly weaning us back towards the classic Irish Pot Still taste!

[nevik9988]

Ralfy, there is nothing wrong with Glenn, Glenn, and Gene. I hope when you review a Bourbon that you'll have Cleetus with a banjo on hand! :p

[crazyzee81]

I have watched about 95% of your vids and Im working on watching the other 5%. 2 other things I wanted to mention. 1. I enjoyed your Biking for charity vid. 2. J W Green lable is your favorite of the JW line. Im a fan of blended mixs like red, black, blue, Jameson and others. Does the green have the good traits of a bunch of single malts. or taste like a single malt? I ask cause I have had some of the pricey singlemalts and didnt like them so much.

[ralfystuff]

@crazyzee81 ...Green Label has the attributes of he sum of many different Malts.

[crazyzee81]

Hey ralphy when you say Gooseberry, and kiwii and such I was wondering is it just a smell byproduct of the distillation or do you think they actually use some of the juices and such to impart the flavors? Like the other week I was drinking some Blackbush and it seemed to have a rather strong scent of applecider but the taste was very much like biting into a fresh pear. It was enjoyable but in someways lacked some of the flavor that comes with the pricier Whiskeys.

[ralfystuff]

@crazyzee81 ... the whisky has NO addition of flavours other than what comes out of the maturation cask.

[Burrisant]

Great review, and whatever any one says, Gene is cool. I'd talk to him if he belonged to me.

[Menn019]

I think it's pretty funny, you talking to the little irishman, i tried similair things i my

(less proffessional) review's, and i don't have the talent to use such extra...

I've heared about the beer back in those time's, however, the alcohol percentage was also a bit lower, from what i've heared.

Mass production is in my opinion never a good thing for quality.

Maker's mark bourbon is not mass produced and is so good...

[BeerMakesHappy]

@Menn019 i had some maker's mark 10 minutes ago and it was awful^^

[Menn019]

@BeerMakesHappy Well, you unfaced youtuber, your Maker's Mark was awfull

cause option number one: it was fake

or two: you took a leak in your whiskeyglass while being drunk and thought it was whiskey.

I have two youtubers behind me who like Maker's Mark...

[BeerMakesHappy]

@Menn019 there was nothing wrong with the whisk(e)y and i wasn't drunk^^

i just don't like bourbon whiskey. maker's mark is better than most bourbons, but the alcohol is not good integrated, it starts sweet and then comes a big alcohol blast. usually i drink stuff like talisker and so on.

btw: great review, ralfy!

[Menn019]

@BeerMakesHappy I must admit after a while it was openened it was going to less quality! Sorry for my sarcasm.