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Spot debuts Port cask-matured whiskey

Irish Distillers has released a limited edition Spot single pot still whiskey to mark the 135th anniversary of the Mitchell family’s whiskey bonding business.

Gold Spot whiskey
The eight-year-old Gold Spot whiskey combines four different casks, including Port pipes

The new Gold Spot Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey celebrates Mitchell & Son, one of Ireland’s last remaining wine merchants. The family-run company was founded in 1805.

The Mitchell family’s whiskey bonding firm began in 1887 when the bonders sent empty wine and fortified wine casks to the Jameson Distillery in Bow Street, Dublin, 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 product’s age.

Within the brand’s range, Blue Spot, Green Spot, Yellow Spot and Red Spot, respectively are aged for seven, 10, 12 and 15 years.

Katherine Condon, distiller at Irish Distillers, said: “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.

“Gold Spot truly is a liquid time capsule with the wine-driven casks treading a beautiful balance of tradition and innovation and marking their 135-year history of whiskey bonding in Ireland.”

Matured for a minimum of nine years, Gold Spot is made with the brand’s signature method of ex-Bourbon and ex-Sherry casks, and is married together with hand-selected Bordeaux wine casks and port pipes. The inclusion of Port casks – sourced from Portugal’s Douro Valley – is a first for the brand.

The combination of the four different cask types results in a liquid with flavours of vibrant fruits, oak tannins and wood spices.

Jonathan Mitchell, managing director at Mitchell & Son, added: “As the oldest family-run wine and spirits merchant 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.”

The 51.4% ABV bottling made its debut at Whiskey Live Dublin from 10-11 June.

The non-chill-filtered whiskey is available online from the brand’s website and from Mitchell & Son stores and retailers from 14 June, priced at RRP €120 (US$126).

It will be available to buy in Ireland, France, the UK and global travel retail, as well as the US from mid-July.

In November 2020, Irish Distillers relaunched Blue Spot whiskey with a revamped recipe after a 56-year hiatus.

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