The Whiskey Reviewer A World of Whiskey, Poured Every Weekday
By Emma Briones
Rating: A+
Redbreast Dream Cask 32 Year Old
(Credit: Irish Distillers)
What is it that makes a whiskey special? Is it the age? Its provenance? For Master Blender Billy Leighton it was a particular cask. A cask so rare and unique that it became a limited edition on its own: Redbreast Dream Cask 32 Year Old.
In 1985, the first parcel of what became Redbreast 21 was laid down. 31 years later, Billy Leighton selected one cask to celebrate World Whiskey Day 2017. Some Redbreast fans around the world were able to taste it in a Facebook Live tasting lead by Leighton. I was one of those lucky ones, and I can say that it was a Dream Cask.
Fast forward to 2018 and, lucky us, Redbreast decided to bottle and release what was left on the cask. So, Redbreast Dream Cask 32 Year Old was born.
This whiskey has been matured in refill American Oak ex-bourbon barrels and later transferred into a first-fill Oloroso sherry butt. It has been bottled at 46.5% ABV (93º proof), with a run of only 816 bottles of 500 ml.
This limited edition of Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey sold out in just a few hours, this despite the extremely limited distribution: it was only available through The Birdhouse, Redbreast’s private club.
The Whiskey
Redbreast Dream Cask 32 Year Old is red mahogany in the glass and has long tears. On the nose, it starts with some strong oak notes that fade when the whiskey has oxygenated. Then, it is Sherry season. Plum and peach notes blend with raisins and caramelized sugar.
On the palate it has a medium body, which is more light than expected with its dark color, but the flavors are stunning. It has a dry feeling but it is sweet at the same time. Notes of fruitcake melt with the pot still spices. It is extremely complex, and slowly shows each of its layers.
The finish is quite long and dry, with some white pepper lingering on the palate.
Whiskies like Redbreast Dream Cask 32 Year Old are the reason I fell in love with whiskey. Of course it had to be Billy Leighton favorite cask!
It is a wonderfully-balanced whiskey, so full of Sherry notes that quickly reminded me my grandma’s meat with sherry sauce. This is one of the whiskies that you will remember on the years to come. That dram that will echo in the back of your mind whenever you think about the best whiskies you’ve tasted.
It will surely be difficult to find but, if you find a bottle, don’t think it twice. I’d love to have some of them in the whiskey cabinet.
The price
Redbreast Dream Cask 32 Year Old retailed at €500 ($582 at the time of publication) and was, as previously noted, available only through Redbreast’s own online club. A present, none of those bottles (or fakes) have appeared with an online retailer.
