Blue Spot 7 Year Cask Strength Single Pot Still

Short of the special wine cask Green Spots, my most recent pick up has completed my Spot Whiskey vertical collection. I have been told that Blue Spot is the best of all of the Spot Whiskies and boy, it had better live up to the hype because being the best in this bunch is a tall order. Right off the bat, the nose smells of a higher proof but ethanol heat doesn't drown out the subtle hints of baking spice and ginger. A bit of caramel and hazelnut swirl around with black peppercorn. This one definitely smells spicier than the others. The first thing you notice is just how full and creamy the mouthfeel is. Sugary milk chocolate melts on your tongue as you first take in the taste. As it goes down, spicy peppercorn flourishes then is pleasantly replaced by super creamy vanilla. Wow.... its almost like a vanilla milkshake for a moment there. Toward the back of the taste brings toasted hazelnuts which is just about the most perfect pairing with the vanilla. The finish is long and keeps the spice. As expected from a cask strength selection, that finish does dry out a bit. Along with the lingering nutty vanilla taste slowly fading from the palate, a bit of drying oak tannins joins the party, all the while the tongue tingle from the peppercorns early on slowly fades into the distance. Ok... I will concede. Blue Spot is good. But I am personally torn between Blue Spot and Gold Spot as being the best of the Spot lineup. They're both outrageously, completely and utterly delicious Irish Whiskies. And if you know a Irish Whiskey hater like I once was, give them a taste of this or Gold Spot. Guaranteed that they'll never look at Irish Whiskies the same again. I sure as hell know that I don't and have fully embraced the segment.

Traditional spot flavors but more concentrated and intense with a little more heat behind it. Very good, not sure I get the value out of it though. Need to revisit.

Love this one. Complex and tastes good. Some sweetness and balanced. Its pretty thick and gives a great pillowy mouthfeel. Only thing holding it back on the rating is that there is a bit more burn than ideal, but it is cask strength so what do you expect? I think if i drink this more often and get used to the proof it might become my favorite whiskey.

Nose features Graham cracker, honey, nutmeg, fruit cake, white pepper, vanilla custard, butterscotch, banana, and hazelnut. A layer of ethanol underneath reminds you that this is a cask strength product. Palate presents almond, chocolate, raisin, orange peel, pineapple, vanilla, date, caramel, and leather. Flavors blend well and plenty of layers here, but there is a bit of sharpness. Finish brings the nutmeg from the nose, cinnamon, toffee, clove, pepper, and a lovely sweet oak. Also a musty, dried fruit sherry note. Mouthfeel is medium bodied, slightly grainy, and very oily. Wished it was just a hint fuller and smoother. Definitely the weakest part of this whiskey. I really enjoyed this, but from nose to palate there’s a bit of harshness and lack of refinement that keeps this from being a truly upper echelon product. A paid an obscene $179 for this because I literally never see it in the wild in my area, but even at MSRP of $120 it’s a fair value at best. Dont get me wrong; it is a good whiskey, and normally I’d rank the Spots over the “Breasts” but in this case Redbreast Cask Strength just might be the superior product at a cheaper price.

Lovely taste and nose. A friend of mine just happened to buy it and left it in his car, we took it out and gave it a try, such a great stroke of luck! If you can get your hands on this, do it!

It took me too long to get a hold of this, but it was sure worth the wait. A great, full bodied Irish with cascading complexity. I prefer it with a drop or two of water to get into some of the fantastic maple notes I detect, but I think almost everyone who likes whisk(e)y will find something great in this bottle. I wouldn't pay over SRP (like nearly every other bottle i own), but I now get the hype surrounding the search for the most elusive of the Spots.