Redbreast Dream Cask Ruby Port Edition contains a blend of whiskeys aged for a minimum of 28 years in a combination of ex-bourbon barrels, an oloroso sherry butt and a ruby port seasoned cask.
These liquids were then married in the ruby port cask to mature further for the new Dream Cask expression, which is the third in a series of limited-edition releases.
“It’s more than three decades since my predecessors went to the Douro Valley and hand selected the cask which would become Redbreast Dream Cask 2020,” said master blender Billy Leighton. “I’m delighted to be able to share its creation with whiskey lovers around the world.
“Our third Dream Cask was created with a very significant fortified wine component. This imparts a unique balance of flavours, with less vanilla sweetness and more fleshy fruits that are associated with port.”
The result is said to be a smooth and silky Irish whiskey with “notes of assertive spices, dark chocolate and cinnamon which slowly reveal a luxurious layer of sweet ripe plums and exotic fruits reminiscent of the signature Redbreast style”.
It is bottled at 51.5% abv and has an intense mahogany colour.
Blender Dave McCabe added: “Because a Dream Cask is not constrained by volume, we have great licence to select a unique expression with a bold flavour which couldn’t be replicated in a permanent offering. Thankfully, Billy and I were in absolute agreement that this was the right time to release this year’s Dream Cask.”
Redbreast Dream Cask Ruby Port Edition will be available exclusively through an online ballot hosted on Redbreast’s private members’ club, The Birdhouse. The ballot will be live from 3pm (GMT+1) on Monday, May 25, until 2.59pm on June 2, when successful participants will be given an opportunity to purchase a 50cl bottle for €490.
