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Green Spot Pure Pot Still Irish Whiskey, Standard green bottle, 700ML, 80 Proof, no age statement but assumed to be 8 yo product, no additional packaging. Distilled by Midleton but bottled and sold by Mitchell & Son, not available in the US, about $83 imported from the UK.
A bit of history of Green Spot from the official website:
There are no exact record as to when the brand first hit the streets, but certainly by the early 1920s the long-established wine merchants of Mitchell and Son of Kildare Street, Dublin, were annually putting aside 100 sherry hogsheads to be filled at Jameson’s Bow Street distillery. So that the whiskey would not be too overpowered by the wine, half the casks used had held oloroso and other dark sherries; the other half were the former homes of lighter finos. The Jameson pot still would mature for five years in those casks before being vatted together and then allowed to blend and mature for a further five years in those same butts in Mitchell’s old bonded warehouses in Fitzwilliam Lane. The brand was originally known as Pat Whiskey, with a man looking very much the worse for wear apparently bursting through the label. Behind him was dark green shading. From this image grew the name Green Spot. The popularity of this type of whiskey spread to a seven year old Blue Spot, a Yellow Spot (12) and Red Spot (15).
As the costs involved in maturing expensive sherry casks became heavier and heavier, Mitchells reverted to vatting just the single and the original Green version. However, when Jameson switched production from Bow Street to Johns Lane, the make-up of the whiskey altered for the first time in living memory. Mitchell’s maturing stocks were running low, and having no intention of losing their famous brand, the company entered into an agreement with Irish Distillers to produce the whiskey. A stipulation was that the whiskey supplied had to be matured in Midleton’s own casks, but IDG were able to guarantee the future of the brand as pure pot still whiskey. The current Green Spot is made entirely from seven and eight year old Midleton pot still, a healthy 25% coming from sherry cask, which is quite evident in its aroma and taste. With Irish Distillers producing their own 12 year old pot still, Redbreast, it was understandable they were not willing to produce an older vatting for Mitchell’s. But when Redbreast was taken off the market, Green Spot enjoyed the distinction of being the only and very last, pure Irish Pot Still in existence. Now with Midleton back on the shelves it can no longer claim that, but it does remain the longest running pot still whiskey to continuously remain on the shelves. {My note, The Cooley Distillery has recently put out Magilligan Pure Pot Still a 5 yo product}
Only 500 cases are made each year, all for the home market, with most of this sold through Mitchell’s shop at 21, Kildare Street, Dublin. Those 6000 bottles represent a very small part of the total Mitchell operation. But for a seventh generation family company which dates back to 1805, it is one they cherish as a vital part of their own.
Having gotten a temporary refill of Green Spot from Gator I thought it was time to review my favorite Irish Whiskey. Unlike scotch, I do not have a lot of experience Irish Whiskey. I found Green Spot in a Japanese Bar 30 years ago and have never felt the need to look any farther.....it is that good. So good that Jim Murray the noted whiskey reviewer has said, "If you see it, grab it. It’s too much of a high class one-off to ignore." and "Unquestionably one of the world's great whiskeys."
Today was a day to do little to nothing. Not quite totally nothing because we made spaghetti sauce from scratch but once it was in the pot and simmering the most work I did was a stir once in a while. After eating entirely too much it took a couple of hours before I was ready for this review. Being that Green Spot is in a green bottle one can't tell how it looks very well until you pour it in the glass. There you'll find a pale straw yellow whiskey waiting for you. The nosing is unique to say the least. The sherry hints are the first thing noticed but then something like a Hall's cough drop is hiding underneath. Not quite that strong but along that impression. Tasting thankfully absolves that impression with a soft, sweet, spicy fullness that coats the mouth and tongue before allowing some malt into the mix. The finish is long, really long and spicy to the very end while remaining smooth as silk. Only at the very end goes the "Hall's" come into play but at a very low level. Somehow even that fits in the whole scheme of things.
This is seriously good stuff, one that any scotch drinker, except Islay fiends, can enjoy equal to their best drams. An ACE for sure! :thumbs:
A bit of history of Green Spot from the official website:
There are no exact record as to when the brand first hit the streets, but certainly by the early 1920s the long-established wine merchants of Mitchell and Son of Kildare Street, Dublin, were annually putting aside 100 sherry hogsheads to be filled at Jameson’s Bow Street distillery. So that the whiskey would not be too overpowered by the wine, half the casks used had held oloroso and other dark sherries; the other half were the former homes of lighter finos. The Jameson pot still would mature for five years in those casks before being vatted together and then allowed to blend and mature for a further five years in those same butts in Mitchell’s old bonded warehouses in Fitzwilliam Lane. The brand was originally known as Pat Whiskey, with a man looking very much the worse for wear apparently bursting through the label. Behind him was dark green shading. From this image grew the name Green Spot. The popularity of this type of whiskey spread to a seven year old Blue Spot, a Yellow Spot (12) and Red Spot (15).
As the costs involved in maturing expensive sherry casks became heavier and heavier, Mitchells reverted to vatting just the single and the original Green version. However, when Jameson switched production from Bow Street to Johns Lane, the make-up of the whiskey altered for the first time in living memory. Mitchell’s maturing stocks were running low, and having no intention of losing their famous brand, the company entered into an agreement with Irish Distillers to produce the whiskey. A stipulation was that the whiskey supplied had to be matured in Midleton’s own casks, but IDG were able to guarantee the future of the brand as pure pot still whiskey. The current Green Spot is made entirely from seven and eight year old Midleton pot still, a healthy 25% coming from sherry cask, which is quite evident in its aroma and taste. With Irish Distillers producing their own 12 year old pot still, Redbreast, it was understandable they were not willing to produce an older vatting for Mitchell’s. But when Redbreast was taken off the market, Green Spot enjoyed the distinction of being the only and very last, pure Irish Pot Still in existence. Now with Midleton back on the shelves it can no longer claim that, but it does remain the longest running pot still whiskey to continuously remain on the shelves. {My note, The Cooley Distillery has recently put out Magilligan Pure Pot Still a 5 yo product}
Only 500 cases are made each year, all for the home market, with most of this sold through Mitchell’s shop at 21, Kildare Street, Dublin. Those 6000 bottles represent a very small part of the total Mitchell operation. But for a seventh generation family company which dates back to 1805, it is one they cherish as a vital part of their own.
Having gotten a temporary refill of Green Spot from Gator I thought it was time to review my favorite Irish Whiskey. Unlike scotch, I do not have a lot of experience Irish Whiskey. I found Green Spot in a Japanese Bar 30 years ago and have never felt the need to look any farther.....it is that good. So good that Jim Murray the noted whiskey reviewer has said, "If you see it, grab it. It’s too much of a high class one-off to ignore." and "Unquestionably one of the world's great whiskeys."
Today was a day to do little to nothing. Not quite totally nothing because we made spaghetti sauce from scratch but once it was in the pot and simmering the most work I did was a stir once in a while. After eating entirely too much it took a couple of hours before I was ready for this review. Being that Green Spot is in a green bottle one can't tell how it looks very well until you pour it in the glass. There you'll find a pale straw yellow whiskey waiting for you. The nosing is unique to say the least. The sherry hints are the first thing noticed but then something like a Hall's cough drop is hiding underneath. Not quite that strong but along that impression. Tasting thankfully absolves that impression with a soft, sweet, spicy fullness that coats the mouth and tongue before allowing some malt into the mix. The finish is long, really long and spicy to the very end while remaining smooth as silk. Only at the very end goes the "Hall's" come into play but at a very low level. Somehow even that fits in the whole scheme of things.
This is seriously good stuff, one that any scotch drinker, except Islay fiends, can enjoy equal to their best drams. An ACE for sure! :thumbs:
