We seem to have a taste in Ireland for expensive whiskey. Back in February, I wrote about the most expensive Irish whiskey ever, the Midleton Very Rare Silent Distillery Collection Chapter One, available for €35,000 a bottle.
This week, a more modest release. Tuesday of last week was World Whiskey Day and to celebrate the event, Irish Distillers launched the third edition of their annual Redbreast Dream Cask edition. A 500ml bottle will cost you €490 – if you can manage to buy a bottle. In past years, those fortunate enough to get their hands on the previous editions have been able to enjoy a handsome profit if they decided to sell the whiskey on.
Dream Cask will be available exclusively through an online ballot on Redbreast’s private members’ club, The Birdhouse. To join, go to redbreastwhiskey.com and sign up. The ballot will be live until 2.59pm on Tuesday, June 2nd. Successful participants will be given an opportunity to purchase a 500ml bottle for €490.
Made from whiskeys that are a minimum of 28-years-old, this edition of Dream Cask is the first Redbreast expression to be fully finished in ruby port casks. In addition, a portion of the whiskey was aged solely in a port cask throughout the maturation period. Another part was aged in an oloroso barrel. All of the four casks were finished in port casks and then blended to create Dream Cask Port Edition.
I was fortunate to receive a (very small) bottle of the whiskey to taste. The nose is intense, with masses of spice, soft sweet plum fruits and notes of toasted wood. The palate is rich and smooth, with dark fruits, dried fruits too, and a range of exotic spices, with a refreshing citrus note. I let the residue sit in my glass for several hours and the aromas just got better and better. One to savour slowly with a very good friend. Or to sell on to a collector.
