Unless you’ve been living under a rock recently you will be very aware that Irish Distillers just dropped the long awaited Red Spot Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey!
The whiskey was launched in the Mitchell & Sons old wine and whiskey maturation cellars, under the streets of Dublin’s Merrion Square. This was a very fitting location for the brand to be re-introduced to the world after nearly fifty years in absentia. The once core range whiskey was historically a fifteen year old, wine barrel matured single pot still from the John Jameson Distillery, Bow Street, Dublin.
Today the spirit hails from the Midleton Distillery campus, it is a medium pot still spirit that comes in at 46% ABV, which is non-chill filtered and matured in a series of casks: ex-Bourbon, Sherry and Marsala seasoned wine casks. It will retail in Ireland for an RRP of €115 by the end of the month and it January 2019 it will become available in the USA, UK, France and Global Travel Retail.
Tasting notes by Kevin O’Gorman, Master of Maturation at Midleton Distillery
Aroma: Pot still spices with rich cooked fruit, baked apple, mango and black cherry. Hazelnut and a touch of new leather fused with toasted American oak
Taste: A mix of ripe fruit sweetness from the Marsala seasoned wine casks. While the fruit remains, sweet red pepper and cracked black pepper add some spiciness, finished by notes of American oak and barley
Finish: An extra long infusion of fruits and spices.
Thankfully, I was able to track down a bottle of Red Spot in the wild in Dublin city, in advance of its availability to the public and I was lucky enough to be able to compose tasting notes based on my own first impressions.
Tasting notes by Matt Healy, Chief Editor of Potstilled.com.
Nose: the nose opens with cream vanilla and succulent red fruits, raspberry, strawberry and my favourite part of this nose, sweet dark cherry. This is followed up with some caramelised brown sugar, almost crème brûlée.
Palate: the palate is incredibly flavourful, it is full of dark fruits, raspberries, strawberries with cinnamon and ginger spice throughout. There are undertones of dried fruits, sultanas, with some characteristic pot still biscuitiness at the back.
Finish: this has a long lingering spice, and prickle on the tongue. It has a hint of creamy red, fleshy fruits, caramelised sugar with a touch of ginger.
This is an absolutely suburb whiskey that I am delighted to say will be a part of the core, Spot range going forward. If you haven’t had your opportunity to try this whiskey yet, keep an eye out for it on the Mitchell & Son’s website or at this year’s Dublin Whiskey Live!
Sláinte.