Spirit Type: Irish Whisky

Country: Ireland

ABV: 46%

Bottle size: 70cl

Description: 

Yellow Spot has a 12-year-old age statement and is a combination of pot still whiskies matured in three types of casks: American bourbon casks, Spanish Sherry butts, and Spanish Malaga casks. The latter two are in keeping with Mitchell’s tradition of importing fortified wines. The Malaga casks are an unusual choice, rare in the whisky world. Malaga is a sweet fortified wine originating in the Spanish city of Málaga and is made from a mix of Pedro Ximenez and Moscatel grapes. Full-term maturation is used for this component, imparting a richer and sweeter flavor than more typical sherry cask finishing.

The whisky is non-chill-filtered and bottled at a respectable 46% ABV. 

Nose: Definitely woody, with light caramel, vanilla, and honeysuckle notes. Fresh and dried apricots and peaches, and a touch of fresh cherries. Wood spice, especially nutmeg and cloves. Wet green tea leaves. Hay and fresh-cut green grass. It is unusual to find both the new and dry notes simultaneously, which must be due to the diverse wood aging. A faint hint of sweat socks, but not objectionable. It gets sweeter with a bit of water as brown sugar joins the mix – plus a creamy custard.

Palate: Spicier, with the wood spice upfront (especially the cloves), as well as black pepper. Caramel, vanilla, and honey sweetness. Ground cherries. Consistent with the nose, it is very earthy, with moist and dry notes both present. Oily mouthfeel, likely thanks to the higher ABV (which also brings a fair amount of alcohol heat, unusual for an Irish whisky)—dry paper note returns on the swallow. Water sweetens and helps with the ethanol sting without affecting the pleasant oiliness. Recommend you add a few drops.

Finish: Medium-long. Cinnamon and nutmeg are prominent now, and dried apricots again. Astringency shows up in a tannic tea way. A faint lingering sweetness for sure, but I find the oaky notes dominate, with a mild woody bitterness. The classic Irish pot still “greasiness” shows up at the end, with a sticky coating on the lips and gums.