Green Spot Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey
Official Bottling| 40% ABV
Score: 6/10
Good Stuff.
TL;DR
An average and tasty dram that ain’t gonna break the bank
A Nice Intro To Pot Still Irish Whiskey
It’s quickly coming up on two years for me working from home full-time. Two full years of constant notifications on Teams and telling folks over Zoom, “Eh, you’re on mute mate.” Before the events of March 2020 began to unfold, I was routinely commuting twice daily, interacting with colleagues in our open office space, face to face, barely having a meeting via laptop or online calls.
Now that routine is largely based around waking up, turning on the laptop with breakfast in hand and beginning my working day. I then check the meetings that await me while sticking the washing machine on and keeping the Zoom camera off throughout all meetings. No more of that face to face interaction or craic throughout the day when you’re walking to the kitchen to grab your 9th coffee before 11am.
At the start of the drastic switch to working from home, I hated it. I missed my colleagues; I missed my 10-minute walk to the office after parking the car. I even missed the horrific £1 coffee from the canteen we always complained about. My mental health took a tumble as we all had to adapt to the crazy world events that suddenly stopped our busy lives.
I’m now used to the routine and this new way of working – and with this new adaptation, I’m considering a switch of companies while continuing to work remotely. At the moment, the job market for me is abundant and varied. My net can be cast wider than UK-based offices that offer the chance to work remotely, and it’s a little overwhelming.
Expectation and pressures could change dramatically in a newer role within a company I’m not familiar with. Or moving into an entirely different field might not be for me. I’m in two minds if I want to move for something new or stick to my comfortable routine and play it safe.
I’m sure you’re wondering why I’m waffling on about something that has nothing to do with whisky. Thanks for sticking with me thus far! Well, my personal dilemma shares a similarity to what I have with whisky now. If I’m rummaging through my own collection to pick a dram, or shopping online for my next bottle, the choice the whisky drinker and enthusiast has today is astounding. Prices are creeping up on core ranges, and any new releases (if you’re lucky to get a bottle) are hard to pick from… especially if you’re on a budget like I am. My expectation of a bottle I’ve paid a fair amount for could be subdued or disappointing… or not what I imagined. Which is why I come to sites like Dramface for advice and guidance on what to buy next. I’m overwhelmed with whisky choices. Often hesitant and unsure, I don’t know if I should take the plunge buy a new expression I haven’t tried.
“In times like this, it’s hard to beat grabbing a bottle you’re familiar with.”
Just play it safe, no need to take that risk today. Grab the one you like, open, and enjoy. It’s exactly what I’ve done by pouring a dram of Mitchell & Son’s Green Spot.
This triple distilled, single pot still Irish whiskey might be familiar to a lot of you. But for those unfamiliar with this core range expression , let me give you a brief overview of the producer before I get to my tasting notes.
The Mitchell family commenced trading as purveyors of fine wines and confectionary in 1805 at 10 Grafton Street in the heart of Dublin. The family would have purchased new-make spirit from the Jameson distillery, which was based in Dublin at the time (now Green Spot hails from the Midleton Distillery in Cork, and produces Jameson, Powers, and the Redbreast range). Mitchell & Son transported and matured the new-make in wine, port snf sherry casks under bond and sold it under their own name. To keep track of how long the whiskey had been aged, a dab of paint was applied to the cask. Seven was blue, 10 was green, 12 was yellow and 15 was red.
Pot still Irish whiskey is created using a mixture of malted and un-malted barley before it is triple distilled in copper pot stills. Green Spot now contains spirit which is aged between seven and 10 years and is matured in a selection of ex-bourbon and ex-sherry casks. It comes in at 40% ABV, with the following variations of Green Spot available: Green Spot Château Léoville Barton, finished in Château Léoville Barton French oak casks at 46% ABV – and the Green Spot Chateau Montelena, which is finished for 12 months in French oak Zinfandel from the prestigious Chateau Montelena in Napa Valley, California which also comes in at 46% ABV.
Irish Single Pot Still Whiskey
From a single distillery with a mixed mash of malted and unmalted barley distilled in a pot still
Review
No Age Statement but believed to be 7-10 years, 40% ABV
£40 and widely available
Nose
A blast of green apples, some honey and cinnamon spice.There’s some clove in there too. It reminds me of an apple crumble with toasted oats and caramelised brown sugar. I also get hints of raisins and dusty wood. Fruity indeed, with orange rind and honeydew melon.
Palate
Quite thin on arrival. You get that kick of spice that’s on the nose. That pot still Irish texture comes through in flavour and in mouth-feel; it’s creamy indeed. Those green apples on the nose are soft and welcoming as the taste develops. This dram is slightly oily and you get that kick of orange. It’s a little hot on the tongue, but it’s soft and sweet. Overall that spice and caramel sticks around. The finish falls off which is disappointing for a pot still Irish whiskey.
The Dregs
The Green Spot isn’t an overly complex whiskey, but that isn’t a bad thing. It gives you a nice introduction to the texture and taste of a typical Irish pot still whiskey, and what that can deliver. It falls short with the ABV and if this was 46% like the other variations, I think this would be even better. The nose was promising and exciting, but it didn’t deliver fully on the palate. With prices increasing more frequently than we like, this core expression is recommended. It delivers on that unique flavour and texture I’ve mentioned, and it’s reasonably priced given what some age statement Irish whiskies go for these days. A great introductory bottle for the category, and a safe pour in these unsteady times. It’s one I’ll always have on hand for a nice sipper.
Score: 6/10
Tried this? Share your thoughts in the comments below. HF
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