In Dublin and Cork Airports, Redbreast Rolls Out Four Cask Edition

If you’re catching a flight from Dublin or Cork, there’s a new Travel Retail-exclusive single pot still Irish whiskey to pick up in Duty Free. Redbreast Cuatro Barriles Edition (Spanish for four barrels) is the latest in the Redbreast Iberian Series. Launched in 2021, the Iberian Series highlights the connection between Redbreast Irish whiskey and the coopers and winemakers of the Iberian Peninsula. The new expression made at Midleton Distillery is bottled at 46% ABV and is priced at €108 (approximately $117). It will be a permanent bottling in the line-up.

Dave McCabe, recently appointed as master blender at Irish Distillers, married stocks of single pot still Irish whiskey matured in Spanish oloroso sherry butts, virgin European oak casks, American oak bourbon barrels, and Portuguese tawny port hogsheads. That’s a lot to unpack for travelers dashing to the gate to catch a flight, so to save you the trouble, we’ve checked the new whiskey’s details and will do it for you.

While the inclusion of American oak bourbon barrels might not seem in keeping with the spirit of the Iberian Series, it’s not as incongruous as it might first appear: the classic Redbreast flavor profile is based on a balance of bourbon and sherry cask influences. Redbreast Lustau for example, a 2016 release upgraded to the Iberian Series in 2021, is matured in bourbon and sherry casks before being finished for a year in butts seasoned with oloroso sherry from Bodegas Lustau. Together with the two earlier limited releases in the Iberian Series, Redbreast Pedro Ximénez Edition and Redbreast Tawny Port Edition, all three were cask-finished whiskeys (see the latest issue of Whisky Advocate for more on this topic).

Redbreast Cuatro Barriles Edition is the first in the series not to use cask finishing. The virgin European oak casks are deployed to add structure and body to the mouthfeel, a technique that Irish Distillers has mastered to produce high-scoring whiskeys before, such as the use of virgin Irish oak for Midleton Dair Ghaelach and virgin American oak for Redbreast Kentucky Oak. But perhaps the closest parallel is with the Redbreast 10 year old Distillery Edition, a distillery-only expression released last year, composed of stocks matured in four cask types (or cuatro barriles). That one, however, used PX sherry butts. You just need to spot the odd one out from the list of Spanish oloroso sherry butts, virgin European oak casks, American oak bourbon barrels, and Pedro Ximénez sherry butts.

No matter how extraordinary your trip to Ireland is, whether you have completed the Wild Atlantic Way, or taken in Dublin’s historic old pubs, whiskey attractions, and distilleries, you’ll find that the Duty Free stores in Dublin and Cork airports are a destination unto themselves, well-stocked with interesting Irish whiskeys. With our pre-flight checks complete on its heritage, originality, and innovative character, Redbreast Cuatro Barriles Edition joins their ranks, and with a bottle safely stowed in a checked bag, it’s time to buckle up and prepare for take off.