Redbreast, 15 year old

Redbreast 12 year old is a classic pure pot still Irish whiskey; where can you go from there? This new 15 year old expression is more muscular (bottling at 46% and not chill filtering certainly helps) but there are trade-offs. It’s a bit closed on the nose (like a great Bordeaux wine that’s too young). I do enjoy the silky/oily texture the bold resinous oak spice grip on the finish and the rich nutty toffee fig black raspberry chocolaty chewy nougat throughout the palate. Still it’s not as eminently drinkable refined or balanced as the 12 year old.