As anniversaries go, your 135th is as good as any other to celebrate, which is why I’ve got a bottle of Gold Spot Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey on my desk. The link? It’s 135 years since wine & spirits merchants, Mitchell & Son, got into the whiskey bonding business.
This limited-edition expression pays tribute to the colourful history of the Mitchell’s whiskey bonding business. It all started in 1887 when the bonders sent empty wine and fortified wine casks to the local Jameson Distillery to be filled with new single pot still spirit for maturation in its underground cellars.
Once filled, the fortified wine casks were marked with a spot of coloured paint to indicate the spirit’s age potential. Blue, green, yellow and red spots represent 7, 10, 12, and 15 years of maturation. This elegant solution to a labelling problem became the namesake of the whiskey. The Gold Spot expression bridges a gap in the middle, with the drink sitting in barrels for at least nine years, but the colour also symbolises the quality and prestige of the expression, as well as its celebratory nature.
This special release commemorates the past and nods to the future of whiskey innovation by embodying the unmistakable qualities of single-pot still Irish whiskey. The expression builds on the foundation of ex-bourbon and ex-sherry casks, typical of the Spot whiskey style, and is married together with a unique proportion of hand-selected Bordeaux wine casks and port pipes. The inclusion of port casks – inspired by historical documents from the late 1800s and sourced from Irish Distillers’ long-established partners in Portugal’s Douro Valley – is a first for a modern iteration of Spot whiskey.
The combination of the four different cask types imparts flavours of vibrant fruits with oak tannins and wood spices, with the port wine-driven cask adding an additional layer of complexity and character.
“It has been a privilege and a joy to work with the renowned Mitchell family as they took us on a journey through the rich history of their business, handed down through seven generations,” commented Katherine Condon, distiller at Irish Distillers. “We cherish these opportunities to collaborate with the Mitchell family and look forward to welcoming even more whiskey fans to taste a piece of whiskey history within the Spot family.”
Jonathan Mitchell, managing director at Mitchell & Son, adds: “As the oldest family-run wine and spirits merchants in Ireland, we’re delighted to continue the legacy of the Spot family, and our family’s historic role in Dublin’s whiskey bonding era.
“It has been fascinating to once again collaborate with Katherine Condon and the talented team at Midleton to celebrate the colourful story of our family business, utilising casks that would have been originally introduced to Irish whiskey in the late 1800s. We’re excited to see what the future holds for this wonderful family of whiskeys.”
Gold Spot Irish Whiskey: Tasted
Opening the conventional bottle that houses the non-chill filtered, 51.4% ABV release, a light mix of berries and sweet pineapple presents itself, with some citrus zest in the mix. The spices you would expect are present but not dominant, with wood and vanilla notes playing a supporting role.
The whiskey feels smooth in the mouth, with the flavours of the wood and pot still spices and tannins coming to the fore. The casks’ sweetness also delivers some vanilla and cinnamon hints alongside some distant nutty tones.
The finish is rich and long, the sweetness lasting as the spic fades away slowly.
Gold Spot Irish Whiskey: Pricing and Availability
Gold Spot Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey can be ordered directly from SpotWhiskey.com
and purchased from Mitchell & Son stores. Other established retailers may have stock, usually priced at around £120 a bottle, with availability in Ireland, the UK, France, the USA and Global Travel Retail.
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