Green, Yellow, Red, Blue; you can be forgiven if you thought today was another edition of the Johnnie Walker range. But today, I am looking at an Irish whiskey. Yellow Spot 12 year old Irish whiskey is the second addition to the ‘Spot’ range of Irish whiskies.
Mitchell devised a simple colour-coding scheme for identifying casks, using spots of coloured paint on each cask in the warehouse to track the age of the whiskey in each barrel. Blue Spot was 7 years old, Green Spot was 10 years old, Yellow Spot was 12 years old, and Red Spot whiskey was 15 years old.
The name stuck, and today the ‘Spot’ range is produced specifically for Mitchell & Son of Dublin by Irish Distillers at the Midleton Distillery in Cork, Ireland. Yellow Spot whiskey is part of the Pernod Ricard brand portfolio.
Also Read: Jameson Whiskey
Green Spot was first released in 1933, followed by a few more Spot colours. However, the bonder’s style category whiskies disappeared when distillery bottled releases took over the market. Green Spot was the last to be discontinued in the 1950s.
Fortunately, Green Spot was reintroduced to the market in the early 2000s, and Yellow followed in 2012
Yellow Spot is a single pot still Irish whiskey, matured in three types of cask: American Bourbon cask, Spanish Sherry butts and Spanish Malaga casks (a sweet fortified wine) for a sweeter flavour. It has been aged for at least 12 years.
COUNTRY: Ireland
ABV: 46%
COLOUR: Light caramel.
NOSE: Fresh nectarines, dried fruit, wood, and barley heaps of fruity sweetness. Pepper and vanilla with caramel sweetness.
PALATE: Yummy! Fruit drizzled stone fruit with vanilla and anise mixed with red apples, wood and sherry notes. Hints of dark roast coffee and barley. Medium-bodied and inviting. Bits of fresh toast with melted butter. Lovely balance between the fruity sweetness, wood and spices.
Very drinkable and velvety smooth. Bits of citrus zest and black pepper. A few drops of water releases more wood and sweetness, but it does not need extra water. It is delicious just like that.
FINISH: Long, sweet, warming and wonderfully balanced. Fruity, sweetness and wood.
RATING: EXCELLENT
Every aspect of this Irish whiskey is just yummy. It is not the most complex whiskey, but very drinkable and delicious. When I tasted it, the words that came to mind were “accessible and inviting”.
The Yellow Spot 12 year old Irish whiskey is probably my favourite “Spot” so far. (I tried Green Spot at a whisky festival). It is available in SA and retail for around R930. Which is your favourite “Spot”?
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