US-Exclusive Series Kicks Off With Redbreast Kentucky Oak Irish Whiskey

Redbreast Irish Whiskey has unveiled Redbreast Kentucky Oak, a U.S.-exclusive expression. (Photo: Irish Distillers)

Irish Distillers has kicked off a new, U.S.-exclusive range of whiskeys with a Redbreast expression finished in air-dried American white oak casks.

The American Oak series will celebrate the role of wood in the production of Redbreast whiskey.

“Redbreast is renowned for its heavy Sherry influence,” master blender Billy Leighton said, according to The Spirits Business. “This can often mean that its ex-Bourbon counterpart is overlooked, even though Kentucky white oak barrels, which have previously held Bourbon, are central to the Redbreast DNA.

“This series explores the role American white oak plays in the composition of Redbreast, and takes it one step further, with a final flourish in virgin casks to enable the wood contribution to truly take centre stage.”

The new whiskey is made from malted and unmalted barley, triple distilled in copper pot stills and matured in American oak Bourbon barrels and Spanish oloroso Sherry butts. The whiskey is finished for between three and seven months in air-dried American white oak from the Taylor family’s 1,300-acre Elk Cave Farm in Kentucky

The oak, certified by the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification, was used to make 63 casks and shipped to Midleton Distillery.

Bottled at 101 proof, Redbreast Kentucky Oak is exclusively available in the U.S. for $95.99.

“Crafting this whiskey has been a journey of discovery. From learning about the trailblazing work of the Taylor family improving the sustainability of America’s oak forests, to exploring the region’s influence upon our whiskey, all of which has shaped this deliciously complex whiskey,” Leighton said. “The Kentucky Oak series demonstrates Redbreast’s continued evolution, setting the bar for subsequent expressions in the series.”

In May, Redbreast unveiled the fifth whiskey from its Dream Cask collection, Redbreast Dream Cask Double Cask Edition, a 30-year-old single pot still whiskey.

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