I was never a fan of Irish whiskeys until about 2 years back when I had my first taste of Green Spot. It was good... not magnificent, but good. Good enough for me to seek out the rest of the line up until I discovered Gold Spot. One of the most perfect Irish... no... dare I say; Whiskeys in general. So this new, limited release 13 year Gold Spot has a hell of a lot to live up to. I don't like to hype up anything before tasting it but damn it I've been hyping this one, enthusiastically. Well, today I finally received a glorious package straight from the UK. Juicy, red apples bring mouth watering sweet brightness to the nose along with some over ripened strawberry. Some slightly bitter tannins hit deeper on the nose along with baking spice and almond paste. This adds an unexpected depth and umami about the smell. Tart fruity sweetness leads the taste but isn't overrun with berries. Definitely some sweet and tart raspberry there, along with those strawberries that were on the nose but the overwhelming fruit here is delicious, deep red apples. The taste is almost juicy in that aspect. Although mid taste does dry a bit there's almost nothing overbearingly tannic or spicy about this taste. It's so soft and well rounded. The back half of the taste brings with it a slightly tannic and spicy character but it rides on the back of that red, crisp apple. The finish is long, satisfying. In the shadow of tart apple, tannic oak and slightly tart berry mingle with just enough baking spice to make your tongue tingle but it doesn't prickle by any means. A fascinating, well balanced finish to a fascinating, well balanced Irish Whiskey. My God. This Gold Spot 13 year Generations edition did it. An Irish Whiskey that impresses me more than the 9 year Gold Spot with which I completely fell head over heels for. I'm going to be a very unhappy camper when I pour my last drop of this stuff.... I guess that means I'll just need to go online and order another bottle.