The popular Green Spot Irish whiskey, distilled at Midleton Distillery by Irish Distillers/Pernod Ricard, is a well regarded spirit that’s seen slight variations done on its core bottling, such as the variant finished in ex-Bordeaux wine casks a few years back. The formula is now being enhanced slightly once again, with word out of a planned release that saw extra aging time in in French oak Zinfandel wine casks.
The new Green Spot Chateau Montelena, according to those behind it, was initially aged in American bourbon and sherry casks. From there it was then transferred for one year to casks previously filled with Zinfandel wine from the famed Chateau Montelena, Napa Valley, before being bottled at 46% ABV.
Plans call for this non-chill filtered whiskey to be released in limited numbers each year in the USA, Canada and Ireland (including Ireland travel retail). No price point was immediately given, and you’ll find some official tasting notes at the end of this article.
“Exploring the influence of these prized wine casks on Green Spot Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey was our inspiration,” said Kevin O’Gorman, Head of Maturation at Midleton Distillery, in a prepared statement. “We found that the black-skinned Zinfandel grapes are full of ripe, spicy berry flavours, which imparts a distinctive and refined fruitiness to the wine and also the casks in which they matured. Working closely with [Midleton Head Blender] Billy Leighton, we monitored the finishing process over the course of one year until we reached the perfect balance of flavours – the result is a rich pot still whiskey with classic Green Spot red apples, pears, vanilla and liquorice complemented by the dry and fruity Zinfandel wine.”
Pomegranate, cranberry and maraschino cherry on the nose, a dry note to the silky mouthfeel and the finish combines classic long pot still spice flavours with a delicate wine influence, all in perfect harmony.
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