Review #798 - Redbreast Missouri Oak Edition
The Redbreast brand from Midleton Distillery has produced a wide range of different cask-finished whiskies. Various types of sherry, Port wine, and the American oak series are some examples; this bottling comes from that last category. It's Redbreast's 'Missouri Oak' Edition, an exclusive release for the American market.
Like all Redbreast single pot still whiskies, this is made with a combination of malted and unmalted barley, and it's triple distilled in pot stills. It also undergoes the typical initial maturation for the brand, which is a combination of ex-bourbon casks and Spanish oak Oloroso sherry butts; after that, though, this Irish whisky is finished in virgin American oak barrels. These are specifically barrels made with 'Missouri' oak, or American white oak that originates in the Ozarks region.
The finishing period in those new oak casks is 10 months, but we don't get an overall age statement for this bottle. At the time of bottling, the strength was reduced to a final 50.5% ABV, or 101 American proof, a nice nod to common American bottling specifications.
Redbreast Missouri Oak Edition
Ireland - Single Pot Still
Price: USD 200 (2026)
Age Statement: NAS
Strength: 50.5% ABV
Cask Makeup: Ex-bourbon and Spanish oak Oloroso sherry butts, finished in virgin American oak casks
Details: Bottled 2023
Tasting Methodology: Reviewed 3 times over 5 months; bottles at 90%, 80% (blind tasting), and 70% (blind tasting) fill levels at times of review. Tasted in a nosing glass each time, rested 15+ minutes
Nose: Oatmeal, cherry syrup, strawberry jam, and red wine vinegar - lots of red fruit notes, followed by more sweetness from brown sugar, banana, and white chocolate. Grapefruit, orange, and strawberries and cream add even more fruit, and we get some cinnamon and mildly savory oak notes. A decent amount of oak overall - clove, cherry wood, and vanilla arrive.
Palate: Strong oak, bringing tannins, perfume, and licorice spice, but also strong sweet fruit flavors of strawberry, cherry, peaches and cream, and clementine orange. There's a creamy grain side to this, and we get accents of cardamom, leather, and nectarine. Good flavor intensity, and the mouthfeel has a medium thickness.
Finish: Orange soda, coconut, cinnamon Red Hot candies, and a bit of maple syrup - quite fun and varied across our tastings. Leather and vanilla notes still show a strong oak influence, and cinnamon, banana bread, and cherries linger in the aftertaste. It's a medium-long finish.
Final Note: Really tasty whisky - this is great stuff, with very strong, defined flavors coming from a variety of categories. Tons of fruit, lots of oak, lots of sweet baking notes, a decent amount of spice notes... this is a fun, interesting Redbreast whisky. Flavor density and length of finish are pretty good for the strength too; this is a whisky that we're really savoring.
Unfortunately, when it comes to value, the story is a little bit different. Redbreast pricing continues to be a challenging topic here in the US, at least in our geographical area; the price for this bottle doesn't seem to slip below $180 online, and it costs $200 to buy this in stores here. That's asking a lot for a non-age-stated, non-cask-strength whisky, even if it is a good one.
Our Rating: 7.9 / 10
In the current whisky landscape of increasing prices and variable quality, we've added a value rating to our reviews that relates to the score and the available pricing of each whisky. This roughly equates to a 0-10 scale; no reviews so far have exceeded a score of 10, although it is technically possible for the formula to produce a value rating higher than 10 with a high enough score and low enough price.
Value Rating: 5.46
About Us: We're a husband and wife review team living in the Midwest United States. Generally, our reviews and tasting notes will be a compilation of both of our experiences with a whisky over several tasting sessions.
