Reviews

Green Spot Irish Whiskey

Green Spot Irish Whiskey

Rounding off our Irish Whiskey series is Green Spot Irish Whiskey from Mitchell & Sons.  It’s a single pot still whiskey, meaning it’s made from a mashbill of malted and unmalted barley that’s triple distilled in a copper pot still from single distillery.  It’s matured in first and refill bourbon casks, and sherry casks.

Mitchell & Sons has been buying barrels of whiskey from the Jameson distillery since the late 1880s. Today, it still comes from the Midleton distillery where Jameson and other whiskies are being distilled.

The name Green Spot comes from the practice of the family to add a splotch of paint on the head of a barrel to differentiate the age of the whiskey inside.  In this case, green means a 7- to 10-year-old whiskey.  A 12-year-old expression, named Yellow Spot, is also available in the US market.

Green Spot is bottled at the standard 40%abv and available for about $50 for a 750ml bottle.

The nose is fresh and crisp, with honey, freshly mowed grass, and green apples.  Taste-wise, the entry is rich in flavor and carries a viscous mouthfeel.  Spiced apples, honey, lemongrass, some baking spice and a touch of malt fill out the palate.  There’s a little oak in the background that adds to the structure of flavors.  The finish is sweet toasted grain and doesn’t hang around too long.

Compared to the other “standard” Irish whiskies I’ve tasted recently, this one stands out as the richest tasting.  It’s more readily available now then when I bought my bottle a year and a half ago on my honeymoon, so you shouldn’t have any trouble finding one.  This one earns a solid recommendation from me.

8/10

Jameson Caskmates Irish Whiskey Review
Photo courtesy of Jameson.

Photo courtesy of Jameson.

Jameson Irish whiskey finished in stout barrels?  Now that’s an interesting idea.  After all, who hasn’t had a dram of Jameson and a pint of Guinness at a pub?  They go together like red beans and rice.

Used Jameson barrels were sent to nearby Franciscan Well Brewery to be filled with stout.  Once the stout was properly aged, the barrels were emptied and returned to Jameson, where they are filled with Jameson whiskey for a brief maturation.

Utilizing beer barrels to finish whiskey just feels right, as both drinks compliment each other so well.  After all, whiskey starts out life as a form of beer before its distilled.  Beer barrel finishing even works with brandy as is evidenced by American brandy distiller Copper & Kings’ recent Cr&ftwerk series.  You can find tasting notes for those releases here.

The nose isn’t full of stout character.  Instead it beautifully mingles together with the whiskey.  The slight pot-still character of Jameson is here, along with hops, honey and some spiced citrus.  A malty note mildly pops in with a little airtime in the glass.  The entry here is both spicy and malty.  Light toffee sweetness is tempered a little with the hoppiness of the stout cask finish.  Citrus peel leads us to a long, spicy and bittersweet (hops and dark chocolate) finish.

Caskmates is an interesting expression from Jameson, and I think you’ll feel the same way after tasting.  Even if you don’t like beer, you might enjoy what beer barrel finishing adds to Jameson’s flavor profile.  At $30 a bottle, I’d easily suggest this one.

8/10
(Note: A review sample was provided by Jameson.)

Jameson Black Barrel Irish Whiskey
Photo courtesy of Jameson.

Photo courtesy of Jameson.

Jameson Black Barrel is a step-up from the standard offering.  Like the standard expression, Jameson Black Barrel is a blend of grain whiskey and pot still whiskey.  What makes this one different is its age and maturation process.  This one is aged in a mix of sherry casks and bourbon casks.  The bourbon casks are re-charred before filling.  As far as age, this blend contains whiskies aged up to 12 years, but the majority is probably still 5-7 years old.  Yes, I know… that doesn’t mean much, as we don’t know percentages.

That different maturation is clearly evident on the nose.  Those Jameson aromas (honey, grain alcohol, floral) are still there, except now there are big sherried fruit and spice notes alongside them.  Flavor-wise, lovely honey and spiced fruit step up first.  Those charred ex-bourbon barrels add vanilla and cinnamon.  At 40%, this whiskey has an unexpected luscious and creamy mouthfeel.  The medium-length finish carries over some of that sweetness and spiciness.

Like I said in the first statement, Jameson Black Barrel is a step up from the standard offering.  It’s a more interesting whiskey, thanks in large part to the maturation process.  In my review of the standard Jameson, I mentioned the best way to enjoy it was over some ice.  With Black Barrel, go neat all the way.  I would love to see this released at a higher proof.  That would make it even more interesting.

7.5/10
(Note: A review sample was provided by Jameson.)