Irish Distillers Adds Red Spot Single Pot Still Whiskey
Irish Distillers has unveiled Red Spot Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey. Last seen in the mid-1960s, this spicy new member of the Spot Whiskeys range offers whiskey drinkers further choice in the innovative super-premium Irish whiskey category.
Crafted from an old recipe handed down by the Mitchell & Son family of wine merchants, the creators of the original Spot Whiskeys range in the early 1900s, 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 Mitchell family worked closely with the craftsmen from Midleton Distillery throughout the collaboration. As part of the process, Marsala fortified wine casks were procured from Sicily in the early 2000s and then, in 2004, were filled with a five-year-old Bourbon matured single pot still Irish whiskey. The subtle contribution from the tight grain of the American oak was the ideal base for the heavy spice and ripe fruit flavors imparted through maturation in Marsala wine casks, which has been carefully blended with ex-Bourbon and ex-Sherry whiskeys to achieve the perfect balance of flavor.
Kevin O’Gorman, Master of Maturation at Midleton Distillery, commented, “It has been a pleasure and a privilege to work with the Mitchell family on the reimagination of Red Spot and bring a piece of Dublin’s rich whiskey history back to life. It has been 50 years since the world last saw Red Spot and whiskey enthusiasts have long awaited its return – this is a bold whiskey that packs a punch, has incredibly rich flavours and an extra-long infusion of fruits and spices on the finish that provides a truly unique and colourful ending. We’re delighted to be able to offer this lost, but not forgotten whiskey, once again, and look forward to one day completing the full Spot Whiskeys range.”
The Mitchell family commenced trading in 1805 at 10 Grafton Street in the heart of Dublin as purveyors of fine wine and confectionery. In 1887, the business expanded into whiskey bonding whereby it sent empty wine and fortified wine casks to the local Jameson Distillery on Bow Street to be filled with new single pot still spirit for maturation in the Mitchell’s cellars.
The Red Spot name was derived from the Mitchell’s practice of marking their maturing casks of whiskey with a daub of coloured paint to determine the age potential of the whiskey; with a Blue Spot, Green Spot, Yellow Spot or Red Spot indicating 7, 10, 12 or 15 years respectively. Four generations later, the company is still in the wine and spirits business under the stewardship of Jonathan Mitchell and his son Robert.
Bottled at 46% ABV and without chill-filtration, Red Spot is re-introduced and available from this month at the RRP of €115 in Ireland and from January 2019 in the USA, UK, France and Global Travel Retail.