Red Spot 15 Year Single Pot Still

You know yourself. You know what you like and dislike. I am not the fondest irish whiskey lover, i prefer scotch 99% of the time. But, if i am going for an Irish Whiskey, chances are that i am getting "a color spot". Red Spot is the 15yo expression of the amazing Yellow and Green spot, and let me tell you something, i love all of them. Bottled at 46%abv, burnished gold color. On the nose, amazingly sweet aroma. A Circus caramelized apple. Apple air freshener. Cotton candy, Sugar and... Potato liquor??. After a first sip i got cherry sweetness and Hershey's Strawberry syrup. Om the palate it is one delicious and enjoyable dram. An incredible cherry syrup note, Cotton candy; Grainy whisky in a very irish and well crafted form, and Mashed potatoes (yeah, that is the first time i got it in a whisky). Afrertasre wasn't that great without being bad at all. Maize, Apple and Sider. Overall, i really enjoyed this whiskey. I loved all about it and i surely thinknthat the aftertaste could be better, but the nose and palate are fantastic. A super enjoyable dram, my score for this one is a solid 87 over a 100, and i truly recommend it.

N: Plum, pear, raisin, gumdrops, cherry candy, cherry cough syrup, overripe banana, toasted coconut, almond extract, sugar cookies. Little bit of petrichor in it - thought I caught it in the Yellow Spot last night, but wasn't sure. I'm certain it's in the Red. Tiny and fleeting hits of mint and ethanol. Nosing across the edges of the glass (Glencairn) reveals a really nice sour stone fruit. P: Hot, sweet, oily, and heavy, and yet nothing out of place. Sweet and sour red fruit, little bit of anise and/or black licorice, cinnamon candy, banana playing at the edges of your tongue, little bit of a bitter white tea, cracked pepper, something vegetal - not quite bell pepper, but getting there. Sweet bread drizzled with caramel and vanilla sauce. Thin layer of chocolate which sometimes hits as powdered, sometimes as milk, sometimes dark. Finish is long and layered - hot cinnamon, banana, peach, pear, little bit of lingering dark chocolate, espresso... There's significant bitterness in the finish - in the chocolate and the espresso especially. Pot still spice is there, but generally sits in the background - very unlike the Yellow, Green, or really most Irish single pot still whiskies. And there's still red fruit hanging through to the end - bits of cherry, strawberry, grape, plum, raisin - some of it fresh, some of it dried. Seriously though, this dram just keeps coming. Every pour, sometimes every sip, there's something new here. This is an incredible whiskey. That said, it's not super easy to drink: the bitterness is going to turn some people off. There is an ethanol presence that doesn't bother me at all, but some may dislike it at the price point. The herbal and vegetal notes will turn some people off. For me, I think all of that is crazy interesting and super enjoyable, both to drink and to think about how it happened. But I still don't think I'd want this every day. Green Spot holds that place for me - could drink that every day. That said, this is noticeably better and more complicated. I think it justifies its price increase. Don't pay an upcharge or a secondary market price, but normal retail (about $120) is fair for this.

light and smooth