W&A Gilbey, a London-based company, was established in 1857 and soon opened a branch in Dublin in 1861. At that time, whiskey distilleries would typically sell their distillate to wine merchants or "bonders" who would then mature the whiskey themselves under bond. By the 1870s, Gilbey's had become a "wine importer and distiller" and had over 300,000 gallons of whiskey from Dublin distilleries in stock under bond. They sold whiskey to consumers under their own labels, after aging the whiskey for at least six years in their own sherry casks at their bonded warehouses on Dublin's Harcourt Street.

In 1903, a whiskey called John Jameson & Sons Castle "JJ Liqueur" Whiskey 12 Year Old was marketed in a bottle that resembled subsequent bottlings of Redbreast. This whiskey was produced using distillate sourced from the Bow Street Distillery in Dublin, the home of Jameson whiskey. The first official mention of "Redbreast" dates back to 1912, when Gilbey's referred to the sale of "Redbreast" J.J. Liqueur Whiskey 12 Year Old. The name "Redbreast" was inspired by one of Gilbey's chairman's hobbies, birdwatching, in reference to Robin Redbreast.

In 1968, Irish Distillers decided to discontinue the supply of bonded whiskey to merchants such as Gilbey's, which posed a threat to the future of the Redbreast brand. However, Irish Distillers agreed to continue to supply distillate for the production of Redbreast following requests from Gilbey's. In 1971, Irish Distillers closed all its Dublin distilleries, including Bow Street, and consolidated production at the New Midleton Distillery in County Cork. Consequently, production of Redbreast whiskey moved from Dublin to Cork.

In 1985, Gilbey's stopped producing Redbreast and in 1986, entered into an agreement to sell the brand to Irish Distillers. The brand was relaunched in 1991 after several years of absence from the market. Initially launched as a standalone 12 year old, Redbreast has since been released in 15 year old, 21 year old, and other variants.