ctbeck11
Yellow Spot 12 Year Single Pot Still
Single Pot Still — Ireland
Reviewed
July 16, 2021 (edited March 31, 2022)
Nose - banana pudding, toffee, buttercream frosting, cherry, strawberry, lemon, marshmallow, powdered sugar, coconut, candied pecan, cinnamon, taffy, green apple, fresh oak, resin, mint, orange blossom, grass, cocoa, moderate ethanol burn.
Taste - underripe banana, green apple, powdered sugar, toffee, lemon, cherry, orange zest, milk chocolate, strawberry, cinnamon, vanilla cream, bitter herbal notes, clove, earthy mint, spicy oak, grass, black pepper, moderate alcohol bite, finishing medium length with underripe banana, sweet red fruit, chocolate, and baking spice flavors.
This is highly complex whisky. Each time I nose the glass, I find completely new aromas and old ones morphing into something different. The wine influence is front and center, with juicy red fruit and citrus making a strong showing. As with Green Spot, there is a significant banana quality, manifesting on the nose as banana pudding and on the palate as underripe banana.
Unfortunately, it’s not without flaws. There’s a nontrivial amount of bitterness and sourness on the palate. The palate isn’t disappointing, it’s just not in the same league as the nose. Regardless, this is a classic that has taken far too long for me to review. I opened my bottle a year ago, and I think it’s actually improved significantly over time. Either that or time has made my heart grow fonder. I wish it tastes as good as it smells, but this is great whisky that outshines its younger Green Spot sibling. Now I need to get my hands on some Red Spot and Blue Spot.
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@skillerified Truth! I have some strong opinions up here in the peanut gallery.
@ctbeck11 You're the end user: ultimate judge! Except, one of a million, so diluted judgement, I guess.
@skillerified I assume so. @Stephanie_Moreno nailed it with her bitter walnut note in the expert review. I viewed it as a distraction from the otherwise excellent experience, but hey, I’m no master blender, so who am I to pass judgement on something as classic as Yellow Spot?
@ctbeck11 I think the sour and bitter are intentional. There's even more in the Red.
@ctbeck11 I really haven’t seen samples of those in retail. I bought it from an acquaintance who got a bottle for $140. He simply extrapolated about 50 ml for $10. I got two —haven’t tried it yet
@Scott_E Yep. I’d pay $100, but not anymore than that. Or a nominal fee for a sample. @PBMichiganWolverine where were you able to purchase yours? Were they FineDrams samples?
@Ctrexman Had to look that one up. Great movie.
@Scott_E $175 is a bit much. I ended buying two pours $10/each. I’m good with that. Ain’t spending the silly asking prices for this
@PBMichiganWolverine @ctbeck11 @ContemplativeFox I had a chance to get the Blue Spot until the keep said $175. Oh well, hopefully the hype dies down or the supply beefs up.
We're not gonna fall for the banana in the tailpipe
@1901 Banana was definitely stronger on the Yellow Spot. Banana is definitely a controversial note around these parts. I enjoy it here, but generally find the JD/Barton banana note off putting. Thank you!
I got banana on the Yellow too, which I found a bit off putting. Didn’t get any on the Green, strangely. Nice review.
@WhiskyWitch Green Spot is the right place to start. And a solid value at $50 a bottle.
I had no idea there was a Red Spot and Blue Spot! I'll try the Green someday and go from there.
@ContemplativeFox @ctbeck11 likewise—-i refuse to pay the silly prices on this. Especially when it’s caused by artificial limitation of supply. Midleton has a MASSIVE capacity—-no logical reason to limit this
@PBMichiganWolverine @ctbeckvIm looking for the hype to die down too. I just don't see why there should be a big limitation on the supply considering the age statement involved here and how the spots have already been popular for a few years.
@PBMichiganWolverine Yep. I refuse to pay the crazy secondary prices for a bottle. Hopefully distribution will improve and the hype will die down soon.
The Blue Spot is hard to find...and pricey