Yellow Spot Single Pot Still Irish Whisky Washes Ashore In USA

by Nino Kilgore-Marchetti
February 13, 2015

Green Spot Irish whisky is an extremely popular, non age statement single pot still expression available these days here in the US. Up till now its more expensive sibling, Yellow Spot, has been hard to come by for American drinkers. This is about to change, however, as wine and spirits company Pernod Ricard revealed today it is officially bringing this bottling to domestic liquor stores.

Yellow Spot, according to Pernod Ricard, is a 12 year old offering matured in a combination of American bourbon, Spanish sherry and Spanish Malaga casks. It is made from a mash of malted and unmalted barley, which is then triple distilled in traditional copper stills. The whisky is bottled at 46% ABV.

This single pot still release was originally “created and sold by Mitchell & Son Wine and Spirit Merchants in Dublin. The Mitchell family was in the whiskey bonding business and sent empty wine, sherry and port casks to the local Jameson distillery, which were filled and returned to the Mitchell’s cellar warehouse.”

Price wise, expect to pay around $100 for a 750 ml bottle. Official tasting notes for Yellow Spot are below, as well as a fun video about the whisky’s history.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FMTzWyqAJ1c]

Nose: The initial freshly mown hay aroma is given substantial depth by the typical pot still spices. Red bell peppers, freshly ground nutmeg, a tincture of clove oil and a splash of green tea, balanced with the sweet soft nose of honey and peaches contributed by the Malaga wine casks seasoned in Andalucia. An exquisite sensory experience.

Taste: The mouth coating sensation to be expected from this Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey is apparent from the first sip. Honey sweetness with Pot Still spices slowly gives way to a spectrum of flavours, from the depth of freshly ground coffee, up through creamy milk chocolate to crème brûlée, picking up some red apples and toasted oak along the way.

Finish: Sophisticated and complex, the sweetness of the initial sip remains throughout, with a beautifully succulent mix of red grape and dry barley grains at the exit.