Country:
Ireland
Brand:
Green Spot
Type:
Single Pot Still Whiskey
Age:
NAS but said to be 7-8 Years
Alcohol:
40%
Date:
25/09/2012
Colour: Pale Golden (quite different from
the picture).
Nose:
Strong and Rich Malt and Honey are followed by Oak, Sherry, Citrus, Vanilla, Butter and
Toffee or Butterscotch. Hints of Sherry and Cooked Prunes, Strawberries and
other Red Fruits. You need lots of patience though because you have to work
your way around quite a bit of Alcohol in the first half hour or so. That’s a pity.
Otherwise the Nose would score even higher. But your patience is rewarded in
the end. The Green Spot certainly possesses an interesting Nose!
Taste:
Quite dry actually but very crisp with lots of Caramel, Vanilla, Toffee, Honey, Malt ,
Oak, Ginger and Black Pepper. A hint of Cherries.
Finish:
Short and very Dry with Toffee, Honey, Clover, Black Pepper, Oak and Lemon.
I
added a couple of drops of Water and came to regret it although it eliminates
the Alcohol once and for all. The Nose now smells of Wafers and Peach
Marmalade. Quite nice in itself but the other flavors are muted. Palate and
Finish are merely watered down. Therefore I would advise to drink the Green
Spot neat.
Rating:
84
Nose
22 – Taste 21 – Finish 20 – Overall 21
Part
of the New Middleton (Jameson) Distillery in Cork.
General
Remarks: This whiskey is produced at the Pernod-Ricard owned New Middleton
Distillery, Cork for Mitchell & Sons of Dublin. It’s the only Irish Brand
that is thus distributed by an independent spirit merchant. About 25% is matured in ex-Sherry Casks and the remainder in used Bourbon Casks. It’s
made purely of malted and un-malted Barley and is triple-distilled. Only a very
limited amount of bottles (around 6000) is produced each year and it is
difficult to find this dram outside Ireland. But the new parent company Pernod-Ricard will certainly increase production as demand is booming!
Drinking
Experience Neat: Good
Conclusion:
This is the best Irish whiskey I have tasted so far. The Nose is quite nice and
would be better still if there wasn’t so much Alcohol around during the first
half hour or so of the Nosing session. The Palate is maybe a wee bit too dry
and the Finish is very dry and short. Still, this is a whiskey I would drink
again if I got the chance. In this case it’s a pity I only had a 2 cl sample!
Mitchell & Sons in
Dublin where most of the Green Spot Whiskey is sold.
