Gilbey's Redbreast 12yo 1960's

An old bottle of Redbreast 12 year old Irish whiskey bottled by Gilbey's of Ireland Ltd. of 21 Kildare Street, Dublin.
 
The practice of merchant own-bottlings was common throughout Ireland and indeed, many of the most recognisable of Irish whiskies today started out as such.  This bottle being a prime example as a precursor to the very popular modern-day Redbreast.
 
We estimate this bottle to be from the early 1960s.
 
In the mid 1960's, Redbreast was being bottled annually in batches of approximately 4,000 gallons (18,000 litres) to satisfy a steady demand for the brand. Minor changes to the bottle ocurred throughout the 1960s including, from 1964, an age statement appeared on the foil cap seal. The familiar Redbreast white label with red writing remained largely unchanged until at least 1972.