Why Did I Buy This:

I bought Redbreast 21 because I really enjoy Redbreast 12 year and decided to treat myself. After doing some research, I saw the reviews on this bottle were through the roof. It was the most consistently recommended 20+ year old bottle I saw. I spent $350 on it and, spoiler alert, it was worth it.

Seriously Though, Why Spend $350 on a Luxury Consumable When There Are Children Starving–:

IT. WAS. WORTH IT.

Nose:

The box says I should be smelling a “remarkable aroma spanning fresh tropical fruits, nuts and rich dried fruit.” I can smell about half of what’s described on the box. It’s remarkable all right, and to me, it smells distinctly like cantaloupe. I’ve never smelled that in whiskey before, and I’m not often able to pinpoint a note so precisely, but it’s really defined here. I’m pretty sure the cantaloupe smell is the “tropical fruits” they’re referring to. Actually, I’m not sure if there’s a difference in my mind between the smell of cantaloupe and papaya, so that might be what’s going on here. At the end of the day, isn’t the papaya just the cantaloupe’s sexy tropical cousin?

I’m not getting the nuts and dried fruit at all though. Unless dried cantaloupe/papaya smells like regular cantaloupe/papaya? Seems like a copout if that’s the rub.

Verdict – smells good, like a sexy cantaloupe.

Taste:

Holy shit what the fuck is in this glass Jesus Christ this is good stuff. Tastes just like it smells. Tastes like a cantaloupe/papaya. Like, imagine if you had a super smooth whiskey and you dropped a chunk of papaya/cantaloupe in it for 30 mins then took a sip. I imagine this tastes like that.

Finish:

Long. Longer than this segment of the review for sure.

With Those Suspect Variations that Professional Tasters Tell You Are Actually Grounded in Science:

• Chew: no difference, I look like an idiot. Still good.
• Drop of water: no difference, still good.
• Splash of water: mistake, I diluted it way too much. Waste of what probably amounts to a $10 pour.
• Rested 15 mins: I think it tastes better. Smoother maybe? Wait, scratch that–I just compared it to a fresh pour and couldn’t taste a difference. It was in my head. Verdict: no difference, still good.

Comparison to Redbreast 12

So as I mentioned, I have a bottle of the Redbreast 12 as well. Question: how does Redbreast 21 compare side by side? Answer: I like the 21 year better.

So where the 21 year has that distinct cantaloupe/papaya note, the 12 year has a cornbread note, but it’s a bit more subtle. To me, the 12 year tastes like a good whiskey. I’m not blown away when I drink it, but I really like it. If I had a blind tasting with the Redbreast 12 and a few bottles of unpeated scotch in my collection I’m not convinced I’d consistently be able to pick the Redbreast out.

On the other hand, I’ve never tasted a whiskey with a profile like the 21 year before. I could pick this out of a lineup with my tongue tied behind my back. I just tasted both blind, and yeah, it’s easy picking out the 21 year.

In terms of smoothness, to be honest I can’t say the 21 year is any smoother than the 12 to me. I think both are about as smooth as 80+ proof liquor gets.

Verdict

Redbreast 21 is actually my favorite whiskey I’ve ever tasted. I give it a 9.5 / 10. The only reason I don’t give it a 10 is because it’s conceivably possible there’s a whiskey out there with notes I like more.