Facts

Nose

Fruity and sweet with dates, apricotes, bananas as well as heather honey, vanilla and caramel sauce. Almonds. Hints of coconut oil. Touches of grass and hay in the background.

Taste

Smooth and rather sweet. Again sweet fruits and grassy notes. A bit of vanilla.

Finish

Medium, sweet and fruity. Coconuts and lemons balanced by a whiff of bitter oak.

Overall

A very nice and approachable Irish Whiskey. It lacks a bit of complexity, but the sweetness from the Malaga casks is really pleasant.

Score: good but not exceptional (84 / 100)

Facts

Nose

Definitely somewhat winy. Orchards fruits, most notable peaches, together with ripe berries like strawberries and raspberries. Notes of apple peels and raspberry brandy emerge, alongside hints of  vanilla and grapes. A little bit peppery.

Taste

Oily. Again orchard fruits and ripe berries, complemented by vanilla, pepper and hints of ginger. There is a distinctive touch of woody red wine in the background.

Finish

Medium and rather dry. A bit of pepper, a bit of fruit and more woody red wine.

Overall

Not earth shattering, but the wine finish is fairly well integrated.

Score: good but not exceptional (83 / 100)

The Spot brand is produced by the Middleton Distillery for Dublin-based wine merchant Mitchell & Son, making it one of the few “whisky bonder brands” still available today.

Back in the old days, the Mitchells send their empty wine barrels to Jameson’s Bow Street Distillery, where they were filled with new make and were then sent back to mature in the merchant’s cellars. This changed when the Midleton Distillery was build. Since then, the whiskey is matured by the distillery in its own casks, but Mitchell & Sons still have sole rights to develop, market and sell the whiskey.

As for the brand name itself, it was actually inspired by Mitchell & Son’s practice of marking their barrels with a spot of paint to determine the age potential of the whiskey: blue for 8 years, green for 10, yellow for 12 and red for 15 years. The Green Spot was their most popular one.

The current Green Spot is slightly younger than the original. I read it’s between 7 and 9 years old, but don’t quote me on that.

Facts

Nose

Kinda tight-ish but pleasant. A nice, fruity sweetness of bananas, sugared pineapples and apple sauce with a tiny bit of cinnamon, together with hints of vanilla and heather honey. Developing notes of sweet barley, wet leaves and sourdough, followed by something fishy… no, literally, it smells like fish… I don’t know… maybe oyster sauce?

Taste

Oily but pretty thin. Dried citrus peels, milk chocolate and rhubarb, alongside sweet barley and cereals. A whiff of spices in the distant background. Becomes more bitter and oaky towards the end.

Finish

Medium. Lemon peels, milk chocolate and some herbal hints.

Overall

What a snoozefest! Seriously, this is one bland expression, there is really nothing too exciting about it. Maybe ok for hot summer days, but not for much else.

Score: average but worth a try (78 / 100)