Irish Distillers, producers of Jameson, have announced the return of Red Spot Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey.
Red Spot was discontinued in the mid-1960s. The expression now rejoins a line of super-premium Irish whiskeys that includes Green and Yellow Spot.
The reimagined Red Spot is a triple-distilled, single pot still Irish whiskey that has been matured for a minimum of 15 years in a combination of casks pre-seasoned with Bourbon, Oloroso Sherry and Marsala fortified wine.
The result is a whiskey with aromas of pot still spices with rich cooked fruit, baked apple, mango and black cherry, the company says, plus hazelnut and a touch of new leather fused with toasted American oak. The palate contains a mix of ripe fruit sweetness from the Marsala seasoned wine casks. While the fruit remains, sweet red pepper and cracked black pepper add spiciness, finished by notes of American oak and barley. The finish is of fruits and spices.
The Red Spot name derives from a tradition of the Mitchell & Son family of wine merchants — creators of the original Spot Whiskeys range in the early 1900s — of marking their maturing casks of whiskey with a daub of colored paint to determine the age potential of the whiskey. A blue spot, green spot, yellow spot or red spot indicated 7, 10, 12 or 15 years respectively.
Bottled at 46% ABV and without chill-filtration, Red Spot will be available in the U.S. in January 2019, for a suggested retail price of $130 per 750-ml. bottle.
