Redbreast Fine Dining Dinner | Belfast Whiskey Week 2023

On a Thursday evening in October 2023, something quietly extraordinary took place along the Belfast waterfront. Redbreast Irish Whiskey — the dram that turned a generation of Scotch drinkers into Irish whiskey people — took its place at the table in the most literal sense, as guests gathered at Waterman Restaurant for an evening of single pot still splendour paired with serious, considered cooking. This was Event 82 of Belfast Whiskey Week 2023, and it was, by any measure, one of the festival's finest nights.

About This Event

Looking Back

There is a particular kind of pleasure in sitting down to a meal where every element — every pour, every plate — has been thought about together rather than in isolation. That was the duchas of this evening: a shared inheritance of care, craft, and conviviality. Niall McKenna and Head Chef Aaron McNeice had curated each course with Redbreast's range specifically in mind, and it showed. The food didn't merely accompany the whiskey; it spoke to it, and the whiskey spoke back. Guests arrived from 6pm with proceedings properly under way by half past seven, and for three hours the room belonged to the uisce beatha and whatever magic was arriving from the kitchen.

Redbreast is, in many ways, the benchmark of Irish single pot still whiskey — rich, layered, and complex in the way that rewards attention rather than demanding it. Whether you're encountering the 12 Year Old's orchard-fruit warmth or the deeper, more contemplative notes of the 15 or Lustau editions, these are whiskeys that have something to say at a dinner table. Five expressions moved through the evening, each one positioned to complement or contrast with its paired course, and the conversation — as the original description promised — circulated naturally around the glasses as much as the plates.

Waterman Restaurant is one of Belfast's more elegant settings, its riverside location lending the evening a sense of occasion that felt earned rather than contrived. The room held the event well: intimate enough to feel like a gathering rather than a function, but polished enough to match the ambition of what was being poured and plated. For many attendees, this was the kind of evening that reminds you why food and whiskey pairing, done properly, is so much more than a marketing exercise. It is seanchas in edible and drinkable form — the passing on of knowledge through experience.

Redbreast's presence at Belfast Whiskey Week 2023 extended far beyond this single dinner. The brand featured across the IWIAs and brought its characteristic depth to a wide range of festival formats — from masterclasses to sensory experiences. But there was something about this particular evening that felt emblematic of what the brand does best: it rewards those who slow down, pay attention, and give themselves over to the glass. You can explore the full Redbreast range on the Belfast Whiskey Week shop if the spirit of the evening has stayed with you.

For those who were in the room, this was exactly the kind of event you do talk about till Christmas — and beyond. For those who weren't, it stands as a reminder that Belfast Whiskey Week has always been about more than tastings in a hall. It's about the tír, the table, the company, and the dram. Sláinte mhaith to everyone who made the evening what it was. If whiskey-paired dining is your kind of night, be sure to keep an eye on the Whiskey Map for similar events when the festival returns.

The Brand: Redbreast Irish Whiskey

The dram that turned a generation of Scotch drinkers into Irish whiskey people. Single pot still, rich, complex — the benchmark.

More from Belfast Whiskey Week

• 11: Welcome to Belfast: Tasmania Whiskey Takeover
• 26: Urban Scullery: Supper Club Extra
• 36: Titanic Distillers: Taste of the Shipyard
• 57: A Peculiar Tea: It's a Mystery
• 85: Douglas Laing: Meet the Beasts
• 98: IWIAs

Explore the full programme on the Belfast Whiskey Week Whiskey Map.

Event Gallery