Yellow Spot 12 Year Old Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey (750ml)

Out of all the Spot Whiskeys made by Jameson out there, I have got to say that this one is my personal favorite. The sweet corn, sweet bread, nuttiness dances ever so playful on the pallet. It is made using both malted and unmalted barley in a single pot and finished in Malaga casks. In the beginning, it starts off hot, but with a little decanting this whiskey opens up beautifully and ends with a soft finish.

There was a brief time not so many years ago when Yellow Spot was a staple on our shelf. Sadly, those days are no longer and it is once again a rarity thanks to sky high demand and seemingly endless supply chain issues. While we've had a couple deliveries of a case or two here and there, fortunately on this latest shipment we were able to back up the truck. The Spot range is all superb single pot Irish whiskey coming out of Midleton in County Cork but the Yellow Spot is a unique marriage of casks. Full maturation separate Bourbon casks, Sherry casks, and Malaga casks are blended after a minimum of 12 years aging to create one of the richest Irish whiskies on the market. While Bourbon and Sherry are immediately familiar to most whiskey drinkers, Malaga may not be. It is another fortified wine of Southern Spain - rich and unctuous it is made in the Mediterranean coastal cities just outside the bounds of Sherry. While dry whites and reds are made there from a variety of grapes, the dessert versions are made of Pedro Ximenez and Moscatel and are not dissimilar to PX Sherry. The impact on the Yellow Spot whiskey is profound. The color is stunning bright copper. The nose is sweet and intense. It's a mix of honey drizzled dried fruits, nutmeg, cinnamon, black tea, and freshly crushed peppercorns. An easy going herbaceous note adds intrigue to all of the sweetness. Barley, fresh and malted, lends a full and weighty feel to the aromatics. The palate is big and chewy. It pings back and forth from vanilla to dates and raisins to nutmeg and allspice back to ripe peaches and even slightly tropical fruits. Chocolate and dark roasted coffee beans flash in and out. It’s a chameleon that doesn’t settle down, but keeps changing it’s colors sip after sip. The finish is long and clean with a little more focus and narrow refinement. It is an elegant sipper that will please nearly any whiskey drinker. Bottled at 46% ABV without chill filtration.

The big mama of Irish Whiskey. This whisky used to be a ghost, and thank the whiskey gods that Pernod Ricard have found their way to releasing this more widely. Ultra-soft, with a strong influence of orange fruit from Malaga casks. The subtle sherry notes definitely remain behind the unusual tones of Spain's other coastal fortified wine. Persimmon, candied orange peel, cinnamon, clove - the ease and openness of this whiskey cannot be overstated. Some prefer the more familiar Green Spot, but this whiskey stands out among its peers as something very different and very, very special indeed.