Redbreast 12yo Cask Strength has been an all-time favourite in our whisk(e)y collection. So I was beyond excited to try this Lustau edition, which is a perfect marriage between Ireland and Spain, with a little help from American oak.

For the first nine to twelve years, this single pot still whiskey has matured on bourbon- and sherry casks, before being finished in first-fill Oloroso sherry butts for a year. Bodegas Lustau is the name of the producer of the sherry, who partnered up with the Middleton Distillery to create this Redbreast. This was a result of an old friendship, as Redbreast states on their website.

The best way to describe this, is a granola/raisins bar in a bottle. Typical Irish goodness with a thick, interwoven layer of Oloroso cask influences. And before you think it’s incredibly sweet: it’s not. Because the best thing about it, is that the cerealy, bittersweet, coppery Irish character isn’t obscured at all.