Everybody Loves Red Breast

It seems that every serious exploration of Irish whiskeys travels through the Midleton Distillery in the form of Red Breast. Even a discussion of Bushmills Black eventually mentions it.

The Whiskey Bros. owes quite a bit to that particular spirit. It is one of the first to raise our sights beyond the myopic selections of basic liquor stores and big-box grocery chains.

Jameson Irish Whiskey was the catalyst that brought me to start the exploration, Red Breast was the lighting rod that energized the passion. We've come a long way since then and the stories of are travels are still yet to be shared but we always must remember the "garage days" that made is what we are.

Back to the point... Kate over at Accidental Hedonist has some good things to say about our favorite subject. Her review of Bushmills Black is spot on.

And we come to the same conclusion as to preference.

After forming that sentence I realized that I have never had to compare these two to each other. and I decided to see which I would prefer in a "blind" taste test. The sad part is that there is no "blind" for me when it comes to residents of "The Box". I know them too well now and can identify them readily if not perfectly. Such was the case with this test, I identified them easily and therefore I'm certain that my results are colored.

After my attempted blind taste test i reaffirmed that I do prefer the Red Breast. It has more character and a longer series of flavors than the Bush Black. They have many things in common, particularly the Oloroso sherry cask finish but the Bush Black is missing the maturity of Red Breast and the additional Bourbon aging adds an assertive character.

It's a close contest, and one that is going to be revisited through the years but for me, now, Red Breast wins.