Redbreast Small Batch Cask Strength & Blue Spot Irish Whiskey Reviewed
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 7 ก.ย. 2024
- These two small batch copper pot distilled beauties hit the shelves in my area yesterday (2/3/2021). I and many others had been anticipating these for some time, so I decided to shoot this video right away to give my viewers a quick “heads up” on them. As I do with all my videos, I’m launching it first on my Patreon channel www.patreon.com/liquorhound, but since this is an unscheduled/bonus video, there will only be a week between the two releases this time. To make up for that, I’m going to be including a surprise competitor at the end of the Patreon video, so if you’re able, join us over there to get the jump on cool releases like this and get some great tips and bonus videos along the way. Now onto the Irish whiskies!
Blue Spot Cask Strength 7 Year Old Irish Whiskey (58.7% abv) does carry that 7-year age statement but is also reported to be made with whiskies ranging from 7-20 years old. Those whiskies were aged in a combination of ex-Bourbon, Oloroso sherry, and Madeira casks before being bottled without any chill filtration.
Redbreast Small Batch Cask Strength (58.7% abv) was exclusively released to the US market here in 2021. This follows the few (probably experimental) batches that released to a few select stores in 2020. It doesn’t carry an age statement, but those from last year were around 14 years old, so we can assume it contains that with a some slightly younger whiskies in it (probably down to 7 years old). All the whiskies were aged in a combination of ex-Bourbon and Spanish Sherry casks before being re-casked into Oloroso Sherry Butts to boost the sherry profile.
For 2021, my goal is to release a new video every 2 weeks (on Thursdays) on TH-cam! I will be using my Patreon channel as a launch platform, so if you want to get a 2-week head start on seeing the reviews and hunting bottles, join us at www.patreon.com/liquorhound. Of course, my Patrons also get that review add-free before the TH-cam launch, access to the private review library, can message me directly, get bonus reviews, secret buying tips, and when I find special things to giveaway, I tend to just toss them into the Patreon winds. But regardless of where you’re watching, I want to thank all of my viewers! It’s that combination of my Patrons and the TH-cam ad views that have allowed me to keep my independence and self-purchase the bottles I review. By doing so, I hope you feel safe in knowing you’re getting my 100% unbiased and honest opinions.
As of February 2021, my current bottle count is over 2,500. I am a Certified Specialist of Spirits and have also been accredited by the Tequila Regulatory Council (CRT). I've been actively collecting for more than two decades and what started as a small basic home bar has transformed (with the help and understanding of my wonderful wife) into this collection and career. Speaking of my career, stay tuned for the summer launch of the new “Saints Alley” project that I’m working on. Given my knowledge and high standards, you know I’m working hard with my team to give you some amazing releases! Thanks for watching and remember to please drink responsibly. Cheers!
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Redbreast is by far my fav whiskey, esp the cask strength. Theres just nothing quite like the almost syrupy taste to it.
Thanks for the review! Was on a call with Dave Macabe (one of the blenders of the RB) last night. It is a mix of 1st & 2nd fill bourbon and 2nd fill Oloroso sherry. 50 casks total aged 9-10 years. Then finished for 10 weeks in 18 Oloroso sherry butts.
Awesome information! Thanks for sharing and cheers!
@@LiquorHound I just tried to look up the Blue Spot... but the only 2 I found online were $350 amd $400... what area r u in that u were able to find it for $85-90??? I am in Connecticut, USA...
My local liquor store got the RB small batch cask strength. My first foray into Redbreast. Fantastic whiskey 👌 Can't wait to dive into the rest of the lineup.
Another fantastic review, I’m a big fan of the spot whiskeys and the redbreasts so I was super interested in your thoughts. Slainte from County Armagh in Ireland 🥃
Thank you very much! You should be proud of the many quality whiskies your country is sharing with the world now. Cheers!
"Let's get some more research" best line of the vid. Also thanks for the review.
I was lucky to snag a store pick 14 yr old Red Breast last year, so i was a bit hesitant about this year's NAS. I may have to reconsider after this review, appreciate it!
Thanks LiquorHound, that was great. First online review of the Blue Spot I have seen. Still unsure about it for the price point.
"Outta the blue...", how appropriate. 😉
Great review and comparison!!
Unbelievable! I got a Goose bumps!!! Really! Only you can describe everything so sensitive way! I’m really enjoyed! Good job! Plz do more videos!👍👏👏👏👏👏👏👏🙏
Thank you and I’m looking forward to producing more content for everyone. Cheers!
Yes finally more content! :)
Would love to see more of a distillers core line up together. Compare it for price and whats worth it and what other brand is a great counterpart!!!
Thank you and cheers!
Picking up a bottle of the Blue Spot tomorrow. I love the yellow and green. Hoping this doesn't disappoint.
If I'm not mistaken I believe theres a red spot as well but I gotta get my money right for that one lol
I searched and waited for exactly that comparison, thank you so much! :D
Having a standard Bowmore 12 while watching this. Glad to have your company. Cheers!
Nice! Thank you for being here and cheers!
I have both, I prefer the Redbreast Small Batch. It’s so great! It totally opens up with a small bit of water
Always appreciate the reviews! Look forward to trying these!
Great to see you man!
Nice review master! I only trust your reviews.
I’d like to see Redbreast put a 10 year age statement on that. Also, list on the box what finishes are applied to the dram and for how long. That kind of data is really valuable for drinkers seeking out value and comparing what suits their tastes.
That would be a great thing! Cheers!
Im not a huge Irish whisky fan, but I admit I haven't dipped into the deeper end of price/age/quality. This video is tempting me, they sound amazing. Thank you!
They really do start reaching another level once they get older than 7 years and at a higher abv. Thank you for the comment and cheers!
Always enjoy your work LH. You're looking well with it.
Thank you and cheers!
I made a mistake picking up the Redbreast instead of Blue Spot, as RB is still available two weeks later and BS was gone within a few days.
U mean gone for good?? I just tried to look it up online 1 site said $350 the other said $400 but my man in the video said $85-90 for the Blue Spot...
Love the RedBreast cask strength, delicious!
Hound, you have one of the best noses and palates I have ever seen or watched, how did you perfect them? Great reviews!
Thank you very much! I began with a big wine nosing kit and that coincided with a lot of nosing and tasting of different foods, herbs and spices. From there it was just a lot of practice - focusing on 1 aspect at a time (sugars, fruits, floral, herbs, spices, woods, etc). Eventually it gets easier to find multiple notes and to find them quicker. Take care and cheers!
Great review! Awesome side by side. Wondering how the RB small batch cask strength compare to the standard RB 12yr cask strength.
Compared to the standard Redbreast Cask Strength, this limited release has a much more complex nose and palate. Viscosity-wise they’ll be close, but many other notes (like the brandies cherries, herb/mint/eucalyptus blend and heavier dark fruits) don’t always appear in the standard and are usually not together or at this level. Thanks for watching and cheers!
Agree that the Redbreast 12 CS is the benchmark. (My “desert island” spirit) The small batch sounds great, but here in L.A the CS can be had for $65.00, whereas the SB goes for $100.00.
I can appreciate the palate of the different whisky's in my collection but I have a rubbish nose, unless they are stand out different, finished in other barrels or peated I struggle to pick out one from another. I find it insane the level of profiles you are able to identify. Slainte.
Thank you and just keep practicing and identifying one thing at a time. I recommend keeping it simple and focusing on the common notes. First, check the sugar profile. Is it sweeter like powdered and caramel or darker like brown sugar or molasses? Then the fruits like apple, cherry, raspberry, peach, grapes/plums, and sometimes bananas. Next check the spices that peak at the mid palate. You should find cinnamon and vanilla and sometimes clove and anise. Finally, search for the darker components on the finish like chocolates, dark fruits (prunes, raisins, figs, and plums), woods (oak, cedar, mahogany/polish), leather, and occasionally tobacco, earthy soil/mushrooms and phenols like smoke. The more you do it, the easier and faster they’ll come to you. Cheers!
Also that Glencairn glass he uses in the video makes a TREMENDOUS difference... sometimes, I even smell certain notes with that glencairn glass that I cant smell at all with a regular whiskey glass even though I have the same drink in both glasses... the shape of it just funnels the smells right to ur nose, even if u can smell the same notes, with that glencairn glass it almost accents the aromas makes them seem stronger...
I'd like to consider trying this RB SB release, but the latest 12yo CS is pretty much trash compared to my last old batch of 12yo CS. Not sure whether to lose faith in the brand or presume the good stuff got pulled from the normal lineup and assimilated into this NAS release.
RB 12CS was the only Irish I used to recommend to my friends, but I can't in good faith continue to after the most recent batch. IME Middleton likes to play games with their special releases by mix and matching their inventories, not a real fan of how they basically dumped Redbreast into the Powers and made John Lane for example. Tastes too obvious for me and lacks coherence and integration.
Hey bud, it’s a year later. What do you think now?
Interesting you mention some of the batch picks in 2020 having sulfur notes. I purchased an official bottling of Redbreast's 15 year last year and it has a very noticeable sulfur note; more so in taste than smell. This really surprised me as I've never experienced a sulfur note in their 12-year or 21-year offerings. Happily, my newest bottle of 12-year Cask Strength is sulfur-free, so perhaps my 15-year came from a fluky batch.
Yep, I think it's just a batch of casks that they matured the 15's in that had the issues. They probably quickly corrected that and that's why we don't see it being as much of an issue. Cheers!
Really want the Blue Spot. Hope it comes this way soon.
If not, I can always send you a sample Rob. Cheers!
@@LiquorHound super kind of you. I’m thinking this should make it up here. Would love to have you on my channel though if that’s something we could arrange. Email me whiskyinthe6@gmail.com
Chris - how would I know, living in AZ, when certain bottles are dropping?
Hmm, maybe there’s some social media groups around you that you could join? They’re usually a nice source for information. Thank you and cheers!
Great reviews, thank you.
Thanks for the review. Both of these haven't been released in the UK. In the case of the blue spot it's probably only a matter of time, not so sure that the small batch will get a UK release. although I hope so as RB are always worth checking out. I'm not a patreon supporter but you compared these to the RB12 CS?
This Redbreast release is reported to be US only, but I’m sure there’s one on the horizon for other big markets like yours. Compared to the standard Redbreast Cask Strength, this limited release has a much more complex nose and palate. Viscosity-wise they’ll be close, but many other notes (like the brandies cherries, herb/mint/eucalyptus blend and heavier dark fruits) don’t always appear in the standard and usually not together or at this level. Thanks for watching and leaving the comment! Cheers!
Good to know! I love the standard RB12 and the CS even more, so I'll be keeping an eye out for it whenever it drops. Thanks for comparing them :) @@LiquorHound
Can you tell that these are 50% unmalted barley? Have you ever had any whiskies made from 90 or 100% unmalted barley? I've been curious about that since to me unmalted rye whiskies are superior to malted rye.
I don’t know the exact percentages, but they are a mix of malted and unmalted Barley. Cheers!
Love all your videos. I am a bit unclear about what the difference is between Spanish sherry casks and oloroso casks (as mentioned in the cask maturation of the Redbreast).
Sorry that was a statement rather than a question. Would you (or any other helpful commentator) be able to explain further?
Thanks! Well they didn’t really clarify that for us, but “Spanish sherry casks” is very generic and typically could mean a lot of things like Amontillado, Fino, Manzanilla, Palo Cortado, Pedro Ximenez, Oloroso, or a plain Sweet or Cream Sherry - which is just a blend of some of those. But according to another commentator (“Nastasifitness”), they were on a call with Dave Macabe (one of the blenders of the RB), and was told it is a mix of 1st & 2nd fill bourbon and 2nd fill Oloroso sherry - 50 casks total aged 9 to 10 years - finished for 10 weeks in 18 Oloroso sherry butts. Thank you for the comment and cheers!
Great reviews! Just subscribed
Nice! Thanks for that and the comment! Cheers!
From what I have read, the redbreast small batch is similar to the RB 12 CS. What do you think?
There’s much more complexity on the nose and palate of this Redbreast Small Batch cask strength release than the standard 12cs. That said, the standard is very good and I’d be happy with it, if that’s all I could find. Cheers!
Wow yummy 👍👍👍🍻🍻🍻🥃🏖️✌️
Mmh. I could really go for some odd cheese right now. A - ha - ha !
Drink every time he says “a little bit of...” and you’ll wake up tomorrow with a headache. Apparently there’s a lot of a little bit of things.
Can you dance a spritely Irish ☘️ jig?!? I feel you’re my Leprechaun Liquor review channel ! Thanks, again! Cheers 🙂
Lol, thank you and cheers!
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