Thanksgiving was full of first timers for me. It was the first time I had Thanksgiving with Owen, my then 3 day old son. It was the first time I didn't have Thanksgiving at one of my families houses. It was also the first time I had Redbreast, 12 year Irish Whiskey.
If you are going to crash a family Thanksgiving dinner with your wife, daughter, 3 day old son and mom, who flew in for the birth of her grandson, then our friends are the ones to do it with. Though they have two daughters and had both sides of parents joining them already for Thanksgiving they insisted that we join them for dinner. We had quite the spread but that is a story for another post.
The first thing that was offered me when I arrived was a seat and a glass of Redbreast. This was a purchase of my friend's father-in-law and he seemed keen on sharing. I used to be more reserved about accepting what people offer in the way of hospitality, gifts, and general helpfulness but I have since learned that that is really an insult to genuine generosity. So I had not one but two glasses of the golden stuff and they did go down smooth.
Now, I am sure that the combination of good company, talk of fly fishing and the smell of roast beast certainly biased my opinion in favor of this whiskey; however putting that aside I will try to judge it as objectively as I can.
The first thing that is apparent is its permeation of oak in the nose and palette. I didn't find it overbearing at all though; I thought it was well balanced. The oakiness brings with it a little sweetness as well which helps each sip dance on the tongue, coat the mouth, and slide real easy down the throat.
I believe most Irish Whiskey is triple distilled which adds to the smoothness even if it does detract from certain complexities. All in all, with a modest price tag I would encourage you to add this one to your shelf.
-SFE
If you are going to crash a family Thanksgiving dinner with your wife, daughter, 3 day old son and mom, who flew in for the birth of her grandson, then our friends are the ones to do it with. Though they have two daughters and had both sides of parents joining them already for Thanksgiving they insisted that we join them for dinner. We had quite the spread but that is a story for another post.
The first thing that was offered me when I arrived was a seat and a glass of Redbreast. This was a purchase of my friend's father-in-law and he seemed keen on sharing. I used to be more reserved about accepting what people offer in the way of hospitality, gifts, and general helpfulness but I have since learned that that is really an insult to genuine generosity. So I had not one but two glasses of the golden stuff and they did go down smooth.
Now, I am sure that the combination of good company, talk of fly fishing and the smell of roast beast certainly biased my opinion in favor of this whiskey; however putting that aside I will try to judge it as objectively as I can.
The first thing that is apparent is its permeation of oak in the nose and palette. I didn't find it overbearing at all though; I thought it was well balanced. The oakiness brings with it a little sweetness as well which helps each sip dance on the tongue, coat the mouth, and slide real easy down the throat.
I believe most Irish Whiskey is triple distilled which adds to the smoothness even if it does detract from certain complexities. All in all, with a modest price tag I would encourage you to add this one to your shelf.
-SFE