Autumn 2020

36 An Insight into Redbreast 27 Year Old On the 5th March 2020, Irish Distillers, makers of some of the world’s most enjoyed whiskeys, launched their special Redbreast 27 Year Old permanent expression. LUXlife was invited to the exclusive launch at the Cliff at Lyons retreat in Kildare, Ireland. Throughout the day we were hosted by Redbreast to gain an insight into the origins of the 27-year-old blend, in order for us to understand its flavour profile and exclusivity when we later tasted it. An iconic addition to Irish Distillers established Redbreast collection of single pot still Irish Whiskeys, Redbreast 27 is the oldest expression, taking head of the family which currently includes 12, 15 and 21-year-old blends along with Lustau. However, it isn’t just RedBreast 27’s age which makes it so special, it’s the Portuguese influence which makes this blend like no other. Bringing a new complexity to the Redbreast collection, the 27-year-old whiskey has been matured in a combination of ex-bourbon barrels, ex-sherry butts and, most notably, ex- port casks from Portugal’s Douro Valley. From the moment we arrived in Kildare, we were immersed in a cultural experience which fused Irish tradition with Portuguese flavour, perfectly setting the scene for our tasting of the special Redbreast 27. As part of learning how the famous Portuguese port casks enhanced the flavour profile of the whisky, we were invited to take part in a class making our own bath salts. This was of course enjoyable, but it also had a great purpose in allowing us to understand the aromas behind the RedBreast 27 Year Old we would later try. Amix of brown sugar, crushed walnuts, cinnamon and essential oils including clementine, the bath salts we made tied in well with the day, sampling us with the exotic fruit Redbreast’s Spectacular 27 -Year- Old Permanent Expression is a Fusion of Flavour In early March, prior to the lockdown that many of us never imagined, we were kindly invited to Kildare, Ireland for the official launch of Redbreast Irish Whiskey’s oldest ever permanent expression, Redbreast 27-Year-Old. During this trip, we were fortunate to learn about the making of the sumptuous blend and witness its impressively unique taste, as well as giving our readers an insight into how our expedition to Kildare fused Irish tradition with Portuguese flavour. Exclusive