Cream sherry casks are still not very common for whisky maturation (except for the Canasta casks that seem to be used by lots of distillers these days). I find that strange for different reasons.
Cream is a fairly cheap style, available in vast amounts, although the problem is that it’s usually blended upon bottling so only a few Creams are married in wood. That said, it balances the Oloroso character with the sweetness of Pedro Ximénez, best of both worlds perhaps. Sometimes it even mimicks the old Paxarete casks which some people adore so much.
Also, we should keep in mind that nowadays Oloroso cannot contain any sugar, but this is fairly recent requirement. Until the 1980s a significant amount of PX could be added to an Oloroso wine and it could still be called Oloroso, hence most of the old sherry casks would have contained something closer to a Medium or Cream already.
Cream sherry may not be my favourite style to drink, but for whisky it does offer a great mix of spice and sweetness. Seriously, I think most PX casks would better be replaced with Cream sherry for a better balance. There, a free tip. You’re welcome.
Anyway, The Whisky Exchange just presented another Redbreast exclusive. They already had a succulent 1989 Port Cask for instance, and recently also a 19 Year Old Small Batch release.
Redbreast 25 yo 1997 (57,6%, OB for The Whisky Exchange 2024, Cream sherry butt #14143, 534 btl.)
Nose: smells like a sherry bodega. Rich hints of stewed blackberries, fig jam and pecan pie. Also caramelized hazelnuts, turrón de Jijona and whiffs of pipe tobacco. Then chestnut cake, roasted cashews, some pot still spice, herbs and some leafy / mossy touches. It’s got the caramel darkness and chocolate of PX but also brighter fruits like apple compote and dried cranberries. Really good.
Mouth: very rich again. There are hints of rustic armagnac and stewed fruits but also mentholated oak and plenty of raisins. Mid-palate it gets unexpectedly savoury, with herbal extracts, nutmeg and liquorice, along with dried mushrooms. Lots of old Brandy de Jerez as well. Then blackberries and blackcurrant jam, roasted walnuts, dates, plus a pinch of salt. Perhaps a hint of banana flambéed but not the tropical brightness that we love so much.
Finish: very long, with hints of dark chocolate, black pepper, red fruits and herbal tea.
A Redbreast that focuses on rich spice and dark, dried fruits, adding dashes of sherry brandy along the way. A truly festive after-dinner expression, in a way. The sherry tends to cover up some of the bright fruits that I love so much, but even then it’s a fascinating and complex Redbreast. Now available from The Whisky Exchange.