While different from the Red Spot, I think these two are just as good. Whether which you think is better will just depend on your preference. In the online tasting, more folks preferred the Red Spot. Expectedly so because of the age statement and the less harsh abv. Blue Spot was re-introduced to the lineup in November 2020 using whiskey matured in Bourbon, Sherry, and Madeira casks to reflect the historical Blue Spot. The re-introduction was released at an age statement of 7 years, non-chill filtered and bottled at cask strength 56.7% ABV, but the ABV will vary annually. [4] Gold Spot [ edit ] Green Spot Château Montelena, 46% ABV, matured in traditional sherry and bourbon casks and then finished for 12 months in French Oak Zinfandel wine casks from Château Montelena in the Napa Valley [9] The Service has been prepared by us solely for information purposes to Members and the Service is based on information we consider reliable and we obtain the contents of the Service from a number of different third party sources (including Contributions), but we do not endorse, support, represent, warrant or guarantee the completeness, truthfulness, accuracy, or reliability of the Services and any information therein. Through various ebb and flows, Irish whiskey was once the most popular spirit in the world. After this zenith, changing tastes, wars, trade embargoes, and prohibition in the United States had forced distilleries to shutter or consolidate to the point of there being only two left producing, and they joined together in 1972.

a b Olmsted, Larry (13 February 2014). "Two Deluxe Irish Whiskies Arrive in US". Forbes Magazine . Retrieved 10 January 2017– via Forbes.com. Yellow Spot Irish Whiskey is a 12 year old version of the Green Spot which is mighty tasty on it’s own, but the extra age isn’t the only thing separating the Yellow from the Green. Like the Green Spot, Yellow Spot is aged in ex-bourbon and ex-sherry casks. However, unlike the Green, Yellow Spot contains single pot still whiskey that was aged in Spanish Malaga wine casks. This doesn’t seem to be as expressive as the previous sample of Yellow Spot I tried. It’s like every flavor is shy and clumped up. I know it’s not about oxidation since I let the whiskey sit in the glass for close to 15 minutes.Yellow Spot Irish whiskey was originally produced by the Mitchell family who commenced trading as whisky brokers in 1805 at 10 Grafton Street, Dublin. In 1887 the company moved to nearby Kildare Street and it is around this time that the Mitchells started bonding (maturing) whiskey. I guess we have the rising popularity of Irish whiskey to thank for the return of these old blends. We have to note that while Pernod Ricard (through Irish Distillers) may be the ones currently producing the Spot range, they didn’t create it. It’s a brand and blend created by the Mitchell family. Green Spot – Review Palate: The hints of strawberry and darker berries are live up to in the taste. Definitely more astringent with a much longer finish. The Red Spot is reminiscent of skipping dessert and going right to cigars after dinner.

Green, Yellow, Red, Blue; you can be forgiven if you thought today was another edition of the Johnnie Walker colours. But today, I am looking at an Irish whiskey. Yellow Spot whiskey is the second addition to the ‘Spot’ range of Irish whiskies. Modern Green Spot is slightly younger than the original. Previously a 10-year-old whiskey, it is now a non-age statement whiskey, made from a blend of 7-10-year-old single pot still whiskeys [2] that have matured in a combination of new and refill bourbon casks and sherry casks. [2] There’s this persistent grape skin note that keeps coming and going in the mouth. I like it, but it covers up the round texture that I always look forward to in the Spot range. I’d liken this to drinking a worm tub-condensed whisky with a semi-round texture, if there’s whisky like that. Score: 7/10 Irish whiskey producers generally use a mix of malted and unmalted barley for their mash bill – unlike the Scots, who use all malted barley – and these unmalted grains may enhance earthy, oily notes in the spirit. They generally dry the grains with ovens, instead of the Scots’ traditional peat fires, so with some exceptions Irish whiskeys don’t have the smoky aromas that characterize many scotch whiskies. Finally, Irish whiskeys are typically distilled three times, which is one more go-around than is usual for most scotch whiskies. Tasting this offers a better experience. The different tastes last longer. Being full bodied and full of different grape flavors, I think, solidifies its identity, and also makes this more memorable.

Nose: Complex, deep and layered. As well as the ever present barley and malted barley, baking spices are much more present. It is as if all of the fruit and berries from the other expressions have melded together to tell the complete story. The initial hit and the high alcohol is noted, but not unpleasant. The 500-litre sherry butts are sourced from three bodegas, where they are seasoned with sherry for two years. The malaga casks are sourced from a bodega where they are seasoned with Malaga wine for two years. Incidentally, malaga is a sweet fortified wine made from Pedro Ximénez and Moscatel grapes produced in the environs of the Spanish city of Málaga. Yellow and Green Spot are two of the few surviving “bonded” Irish whiskeys – made by the ubiquitous Irish Distillers Limited (originally at the Jameson Bow Street Distillery, and now at the larger facility in Midleton, where all IDL whiskeys are made) – but sold by the wine merchants Mitchell & Son of Dublin, Ireland. Originating sometime after Mitchell & Son began selling whiskey in 1887, the ‘Spot’ refers to the family tradition of marking barrels of maturing whisky with a daub of paint to indicate their age – originally the shop sold Green, Yellow, Red, and Blue Spot whiskeys, most aged in the shop’s excess fortified wine barrels.

Yellow Spot is a Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey. Irish single pot still whiskey doesn’t mean it’s single distilled, but that it’s triple distilled in traditional copper pot stills within a SINGLE distillery. Unlike Green Spot, which didn’t carry an age statement, Yellow Spot is a 12 year old whiskey which was aged in a combination of American ex-bourbon barrels, Spanish sherry, and Spanish Malaga casks.a b O'Connor, Fionnán (2015). A Glass Apart: Irish Single Pot Still Whiskey. Images Publishing. ISBN 9781864705492. Green Spot was first released in 1933, followed by a few more Spot colours. However, the bonder’s style category whiskies disappeared when distillery bottled releases took over the market. Green Spot was the last to be discontinued in the 1950s. Fortunately, Green Spot was reintroduced to the market in the early 2000s, and Yellow Spot whiskey followed in 2012 Every aspect of this Yellow Spot whiskey is just yummy. It is not the most complex whiskey, but very drinkable and delicious. When I tasted it, the words that came to mind were “accessible and inviting”. I know it’s not me, since I had some glasses of other spirits I was familiar with. They were their usual selves. The shyness is most likely the result of batch variation. Score: 5/10

The latest chapter of this saga is the hero’s journey of a return to triumph. While it still has a long way to go to regain the top spot of popularity in the spirit world, Irish whiskey has been among the fastest growing spirits in the world for a number of years now. This resurgence has created a need for new characters to enter the stage, but also many of the old players a time to shine again. With a whiskey industry that prospered for hundreds of years, Ireland helped establish a taste for whiskey throughout the western world. Legendary producer Bushmills was issued what is now the oldest license to distill spirits in 1608, and within decades Ireland boasted more than 100 distilleries. The Blue Spot was reintroduced to the market in late 2020. Like the Red Spot, it was previously gone since the 1960s. What makes this unique is that it’s the only Spot that’s bottled at cask strength and has a single digit age statement. It’s aged in ex-Bourbon, ex-Sherry and ex- Madeira casks. The ABV varies by batch. So far, the lowest has been 56%-ish and the highest has been 58%-ish. Note that the Green Spot may be an NAS, but Irish Distillers say it’s a blend of at least seven to 10 year old whiskey. Like all the Spots, this one is also non-chill filtered. Green Spot Château Léoville Barton". mitchellandson.com. Mitchell & Son . Retrieved 10 January 2017.In the mouth: The greeting isn’t as hot as on the nose. I get light to medium peppery tastes of grapes, roasted grapes, yellow kiwi fruit, tepache, dehydrated lemon peel, orange-flavored vitamin c syrup, coffee, and chocolate. Conclusions: Best known for the Green Spot Irish whiskey, the 'Spot' range is distilled at Midleton for the family-owned Mitchell & Son Wine Merchants. Set up in 1805, it wasn’t until 1887 that Robert Mitchell, a baker, confectioner and the sort of industrious shopkeeper so crucial in the history of whiskey (and whisky, too - Johnnie Walker was a grocer, for example) added whiskey bonding to the family business.