Head to head · unusually close flavour match
The Balvenie DoubleWood 12 Year Old vs Redbreast 12 Year Old
No flavour axis separates these two, so the choice is price and occasion.
Compiled by WhiskeyCask Editorial · Last verified 2026-07-30
Specifications side by side
| The Balvenie DoubleWood 12 Year Old | Redbreast 12 Year Old | |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Single malt | Single pot still |
| Origin | Speyside, Scotland | Ireland |
| Age | 12 years | 12 years |
| Strength | 43% ABV | 40% ABV |
| Cask | Ex-bourbon barrel, Oloroso sherry butt | Ex-bourbon, Oloroso sherry |
| Bottle | 700 ml | 700 ml |
| RRP observed | £50 | £55 |
| Per 10cl | £7.14 | £7.86 |
| Per litre of alcohol | £166 | £196 |
| Chill-filtered | Not stated | Not stated |
What separates them
Different countries: The Balvenie DoubleWood 12 Year Old from Speyside, Scotland, Redbreast 12 Year Old from Ireland.
The Balvenie DoubleWood 12 Year Old is a single malt, Redbreast 12 Year Old a single pot still.
Both state 12 years.
Cask as each producer describes it: The Balvenie DoubleWood 12 Year Old in ex-bourbon barrel and oloroso sherry butt, Redbreast 12 Year Old in ex-bourbon and oloroso sherry.
Neither states chill filtration.
Neither set of specifications is producer-confirmed.
What the price buys
Redbreast 12 Year Old is £5.00 dearer a bottle than The Balvenie DoubleWood 12 Year Old.
Strength keeps that ordering: £166 a litre of pure alcohol for The Balvenie DoubleWood 12 Year Old against £196.
Across the 32 bottles we can cost this way, The Balvenie DoubleWood 12 Year Old is 22nd cheapest and Redbreast 12 Year Old 27th cheapest.
Flavour, compared
View as table
| Axis | The Balvenie DoubleWood 12 Year Old | Redbreast 12 Year Old |
|---|---|---|
| Peaty | 0 | 0 |
| Sweet | 8 | 6 |
| Fruity | 6 | 7 |
| Spicy | 4 | 5 |
| Woody | 5 | 5 |
| Sherried | 6 | 6 |
| Cereal | 5 | 7 |
| Oily | 6 | 7 |
No axis reaches the 3-point gap we call meaningful. Widest is sweet, 8 against 6.
Identical on peaty, woody and sherried.
Each bottle in its own right
The Balvenie DoubleWood 12 Year Old
Honey, cinnamon and nutmeg. Sweet without being cloying, and 43% helps.
Full record →Redbreast 12 Year Old
Thick, oily pot-still spice with sherried fruit. The style Ireland nearly lost.
Single pot still requires a mash of both malted and unmalted barley — an Irish style that came close to extinction.
Full record →Both listed for after dinner; only The Balvenie DoubleWood 12 Year Old for gift; only Redbreast 12 Year Old for something different.
Where these specifications come from
Producer and retailer pages for The Balvenie DoubleWood 12 Year Old and Redbreast 12 Year Old: thebalvenie.com, redbreastwhiskey.com. Figures are what those pages published when we last checked them, on 2026-07-30.