Blue Spot Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey has returned at cask strength. For the first time since the 1960s, the entire Spot family of Irish Whiskeys–green, yellow, red, and blue–are all available.
Irish Distillers joined forces with the Mitchell family to reintroduce the Blue Spot Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey, which hasn’t been released since 1964.
The story of the legendary Spot Irish whiskey range began in the early 1900s when celebrated wine and spirits merchants, Mitchell & Son, began maturing whiskey from the local Jameson Distillery in Bow Street in their underground cellars in Dublin City Centre. Blue Spot takes its name from the blue daubs or ‘spots’ of paint that the Mitchells used to mark the barrels to signify that the whiskey in those casks were to be matured for a minimum of seven years.
Building on the foundation of bourbon and sherry casks, the reimagined Blue Spot includes Whiskey aged in Madeira casks, inspired by the historical inventory of Mitchell & Son and typical of the Spot style of Whiskey. The Midleton masters, in collaboration with the Mitchell family, were influenced by archive documents dating back to 1935 showing Madeira wine casks imported to Ireland were used to mature Whiskey.
The team at Irish Distillers’ Midleton Distillery have been sourcing Madeira wine seasoned casks for over 20 years. These casks are carefully handcrafted in a cooperage in the north of Portugal and then sent to the island of Madeira. Once seasoned, the casks are shipped back to Midleton and filled with pot still distillate and left to mature. The Madeira casks, along with ex-Bourbon and ex-Sherry casks are then hand selected and married together.
“It is with absolute pleasure that we reintroduce Blue Spot and bring a piece of Dublin’s rich whiskey history back to life,” commented Kevin O’Gorman, Master Distiller at Irish Distillers. “Over the years I have had the honour of collaborating with the Mitchell family, who for generations have celebrated the influence of fine wines on Irish whiskey, as we have reintroduced expressions to the beloved Spot range. I am incredibly proud to celebrate with Jonathan and Robert Mitchell on this historic day as Blue Spot takes its place alongside Green, Yellow and Red Spot, reuniting the whole family once again.”
Jonathan Mitchell, Managing Director at Mitchell & Son, added, “It’s been a privilege to shed light on the history of whiskey bonding in Ireland and the role our family had to play in it as we relaunch Blue Spot. The inclusion of whiskey aged in Madeira casks adds flavours that would have been originally introduced into Irish whiskey by the Mitchell family. As the full Spot range comes back to life, we find ourselves bursting with pride for the role our family played in the creation of this treasured range of whiskeys.”
On the nose, the Blue Spot Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey features aromas of pineapple, kiwi, green banana and lime zest followed by Pot Still spices, baked apple, hazelnut and toasted wood. The palate offers a subtle mix of fruit, a hint of clove oil and cracked black peppercorns. Sweet spices, vanilla and cinnamon add to the wood’s nutty contribution. The finish features exotic fruits and spices.
Bottled at cask strength, which will vary with each release, the Blue Spot Whiskey is available for €80 in Ireland, UK, France, Canada, Northern Ireland and Global Travel Retail, and will arrive in the United States in February 2021.