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Redbreast 15 Year 2021 Release 46%

Nose: Creamy nuttiness. Nutella.. Toasted hazelnuts or chestnuts. Maybe even spanish peanuts, the reddish ones with the skin still on. A creamy baked brie, still gooey from the oven with a sweet onion balsamic jam. The nose gets a touch funky and vegatative. Soquel Creek, where my kids were born, stops flowing in summer. The sand builds and eventually it becomes the ultimate place to paddleboard among the lily pads right through Capitola village. You can smell the food cooking at Shadowbrook restaurants mingling with the wet moss and stagnant water as the baby ducks nibble on your paddle. Layer on the sweet begonias on the shore as they turn from fresh to tomorrow’s seeds.

Palate: Walnuts. Drop biscuits, a hint of buttery sweet with the mouthful of baking soda. I’ve still never managed to nail a good drop biscuit. So this reference isn’t for some masterful buttery goodness, but my own endless failed attempts to make something delicious. Like brushing your teeth with Arm & Hammer. With a touch of nutmeg. The finish is tart, white tea and green mango, even the slightest hint of aspirin.

Rating: 4 / 10 – While the nose is intriguing, the palate is pretty much off-putting tonight. Not into this form of tart bitterness. I tried this as part of a blind split organized by Lucasz and was a bit surprised at the reveal. I’ve always loved the 12 year and never cared for the 15 year Redbreast. But I didn’t expect to feel so ambivalent. That is the power of blind tastings. The name can’t bias you.