Yellow Spot 12 Years Review

“Spot On”

Country: Ireland

Brand: Yellow Spot

Type: Single Pot Still Whiskey

Age: 12 Years

Alcohol: 46%

Date: 13/04/2014

Colour: Amber

Nose: The typical Clean, Fruity and Creamy Nose of a Triple-Distilled Spirit. The Ex-Bourbon Casks mark their presence with Vanilla, Creme Brulee, Cinnamon and lightly Charred Oak. I also find Dried Fruit like Raisins and Apricots, Toffee, Caramel, Malt, Yeast, Butter, Toast, Banana, Apple Pie, Peach and Lemon. It's not quite as Fruity as the Redbreast 12 years and the Oak influence is stronger, particularly the Ex-Bourbon casks. Still, a very fine Nose and the best part of this Whiskey! The Alcohol is better integrated than in its sister, the NAS Green Spot.

Taste: Slightly disappointing after the Wonderful Nose. Much more Spice and Oak than the Nose would want you to believe. I find Cinnamon, Pepper, Ginger and Nutmeg, alongside Malt, Vanilla, light Honey, Lemon, Charred Wood, Milk and Butterscotch.

Finish: Middle-Long, Sweet and Spicy with a slight Alcohol Burn. I find Sweet Barley, Almond, Apple-Pie, Marzipan, Vanilla, Cinnamon, Pepper and Nutmeg. Slight Metallic After-Taste.

I added a couple of drops of Water and you get more Fruit and Apple-Pie on the Nose. But Oak and Spices become even more dominant on the Palate and in the Finish. Still, the Yellow Spot 12 years allows you to play with a couple of drops.

Rating: 86 

Nose: 22.5 – Taste: 21 – Finish: 21 – Overall: 21.5

Pot Still at Lagavulin (2002 Finlay McWalter)

General Remarks: This older brother/sister of Green Spot 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. The Yellow Spot matures in a combination of American Oak Ex-Bourbon Barrels, Spanish Oak Ex-Sherry Butts and Spanish Malaga Casks. It’s triple-distilled using both Malted and Unmalted Barley. The Yellow Spot is not Chill-filtered. It's not cheap but prices vary significantly, depending where you are. Anywhere between 50 and a 100 US Dollars. It is difficult to find this dram outside Ireland. But the new parent company Pernod-Ricard will most likely increase production as demand is steadily growing!

Drinking Experience Neat: Good

Conclusion: Certainly at par with the Redbreast 12 Years, my favourite Irish Whiskey so far. The Redbreast presents more Fruit while the Yellow Spot has a more Oaky feel to it. I'm not a convinced fan of Triple Distilled Irish Whiskey in general but both the Redbreast and the Yellow Spot are the exceptions to the rule. If you put a gun to my head I'll go with the Redbreast because of its fantastic Nose. But there's little in it really! 

Jan van den Ende                                                                   April 2014

Mitchell & Sons, Dublin

Knappogue 12 Years Review

Country: Ireland

Brand: Knappogue Castle

Type: Single Malt Whiskey 

Age: 12 Years

ABV: 40 %

Sample Provided By: Derek, USA. Thanks!  

Date: 12/12/2013

Colour: Pale Gold

Nose: Crisp and Clean as could be expected from a Triple-Distilled Whiskey. Lots of Cereals, Vanilla, Coconut, light Oak, Honey, Mandarin, Banana, Butter-scotch and a hint of Cinnamon. The Alcohol is not yet fully integrated.

Palate: Sweet, Fruity and slightly Thin with Vanilla, Coconut, Banana, Pineapple, Caramel, Milk Chocolate, Butterscotch, light Oak, Cinnamon, Grains and some Floral Tones.

Finish: Middle-Long. Sweet at first but Dry towards the end with Vanilla, Honey, Butterscotch, Sweet Barley, Banana Ice Cream, light Oak and light Spices like Pepper and Cinnamon.

No need to add Water to the Knappogue Castle 12 Years.   

Rating: 84

Nose: 21 - Taste: 21 - Finish: 21 - Overall: 21

General Remarks: In the 1960's an American by the name of Mark Edwin Andrews started to buy Pot Still Whiskey from Irish Distilleries. This Independent Bottler aged these spirits and bottled them under the Brand Name " Knappogue Castle", named after the Irish Castle that he owned. The 1951 is the oldest expression matured by Mark Edwin Andrews that is still available. Today the Brand Name is owned by Castle Brands Inc., established in 1998 by the founders son Mark. This company also owns Brand Names like Gosling's Rum and Jefferson's Bourbon. Traditionally, the Knappogue Castle spirits were all vintage expressions. But in 2010 the company launched the Standard 12 Years. This Whiskey only contains Malted Barley, ages in Ex-Bourbon Casks, is naturally Coloured and only lightly Chill-Filtered. The Knappogue is Triple-Distilled, most likely at Bushmills. It sells at around 40 US Dollars.

Drinking Experience Neat: Good

Conclusion: Let me start by saying that the Knapogue 12 years is utterly drinkable. I also think that the Nose is richer than your average Irish Whiskey! But on the Palate and in the Finish it reminds me more of a Fruit Liqueur. The Banana feel is really strong throughout. If that's your flavour profile, you will love this whiskey. It seems a perfect starting whiskey for people who generally feel that the taste of whisk(e)y is too strong. In short, a well made Single Malt with a Fruity and Amiable Flavour Profile. But not exactly what I'm looking for in a Whisk(e)y!

Jan van den Ende                                                       December 2013

Bushmills 10 Years Single Malt

Country: Ireland

Brand: Bushmills 

Type: Single Malt Whiskey

Age: 10 Years

Alcohol: 40%

Colour: Golden Amber

Nose: Light. First impressions are Grains (Malt, Toast with Margarine), Straw/Hay and Dried Fruits (Raisins and Sultanas) followed by Nuts, Oak, light Fruity tones (Apple, Banana with light Honey, White Grapes and Coconuts), Milk Chocolate, Lemon Peel and the faintest hint of Sherry. Grains are rather dominating the Nose. The other flavours, while not unpleasant, are rather understated for a 10 Year old Single Malt.

Palate: Watery delivery. Very light, Ashy, slightly Metallic, Sugary Sweet and Soapy with Malt, Oak, Licorice, light Honey, light Fruits (Apple, Pear, Coconut), Caramel, Green Pepper and Nutmeg.

Finish: Short, Dry, Slightly Bitter, Earthy and Herbal. Some Toast, Toffee, Green Pepper, Licorice and Lemon Zest.

I added a few drops of Water and the Fruit on the Palate becomes slightly clearer. The rest though is simply washed down.

Rating:  79 

Nose: 21 - Taste: 19.5- Finish:  18.5 - Overall: 20

General Remarks:  The Old Bushmills Distillery is located in the Antrim County in Northern Ireland. Since 2005 it's owned by the Diageo Group. In 1608 a licence to distill was granted by King James I which makes Bushmills the oldest licensed Distillery. That's why the year 1608 is printed on the label. The Distillery produces a whole range of Bushmills expressions including the Original or White Label as it's often referred to, the Black Bush, the 10, 12, 16 and 21 Years Single Malts and the Special Edition 1608, released in 2008 to commemorate the 400th Anniversary of Legal Distilling at Bushmills. The Bushmills 10 Years is the only 10 Year Old Single Malt from Ireland. It is Triple-Distilled, unpeated and matured in Bourbon infused American Oak Barrels and Sherry Casks. It's not too expensive at around 45 US Dollars.

Drinking Experience Neat: Okay/Below Average

Conclusion: This was Whisky of the year in 2007 I believe! And Jim Murray rewards this with 90 points in his Whisky Bible! And I? I can't say I like this Bushmills expression a lot. It's not really bad but it's too light, too watery and too understated. Some people would call this dram Smooth, Crisp, Clean and Light. In my book this is called watery, uninteresting and utterly forgettable. And that's all there is to the Bushmills 10 Year old Single Malt if you ask me!

Jan van den Ende                                                                January 27, 2013

Tyrconnell Ambassador's Choice 1992 Review

Country: Ireland

Brand: Tyrconnell Ambassador's Choice

Type: Pure Pot Still Whiskey

Age: 16 Years

ABV: 51%

Date: 15/12/2012

Colour: Pale Gold

Nose: Clean with Malt, Vanilla, Apples and Pears, Caramel, Oak, Raisin and Buttered Toast with Apricot Marmalade. Some Fruity - and (Lemon) Grassy Tones as well. Agreeable but not overly exciting.

Taste: Quite nice but not very complex. It reminded me a bit of a Banana-Liqueur. I also find lots of Malt and Vanilla (Custard), Spices (White Pepper and Cinnamon), Caramel and a tad of Honey.

Finish: Middle Long with Vanilla, Lemon, Pepper, Oak and a hint of Cocoa Powder. Quite Dry in the end.

I added a few drops of Water and I can't find any material changes. The dram softens up even more and I did get some Mint on the Palate as well. I think you should should try this Tyrconnell both ways to find out what suites you best.

Rating:  83.5  (out of 100)

Nose:  21 - Taste:  21.5 - Finish: 20  - Overall: 21

General Remarks: I received a sample of this dram from Glenn Vanbellingen who lives in Belgium. Thanks Glenn! Tyrconnell of course is a Brand of the Cooley Distillery. Tyrconnell is the name of an Irish race horse that won the Irish Derby in 1876 at 100-1 odds. The distillery was founded in 1820 by Alexander Stuart but closed in 1925. The brand name was bought and reintroduced by the Cooley Distillery in 1988.
This specific batch was distilled on November 5, 1992 and bottled on August 26, 2009. 

Drinking Experience Neat: Good

Conclusion: This is a step up from the Tyrconnell Single Malt. However it's also quite expensive at around US$ 100,- a bottle. The Ambassador' s Choice is a well-crafted whiskey but it's not complex enough to justify its high price in my opinion.  

Jan van den Ende                                                               December 2012