Redbreast whiskey takes its name from the small ‘Robin Redbreast’ bird, with the inspiration originating in 1903 with the then chairman of Gilbeys Wines & Spirits Import Company, who was an avid bird fancier. The custom of that era was for distilleries to sell all their whiskey to ‘bonders,’ like Gilbeys, who were in the business of importing fortified wines such as sherry and port. With ample supplies of empty casks in which to mature new make whiskeys, the wine merchants would produce these whiskeys under bond, hence the term whiskey bonder. These were then marketed under the spirit merchants own name, e.g. Redbreast. Of the many brands produced and marketed in this fashion, Redbreast was one of the very few bonder brands that endured, owing to an honest reputation and a loyal following.