There are lots of things that I should be doing tonight instead of sipping whiskey and writing an entry in my whisk(e)y journal. But, it’s been a slog at work this week, there have been construction crews excavating some sort of pit outside my home into the wee hours of the morning (my God, the noise pollution!), and I’ve decided I deserve something proven to be delicious for a change of pace. I’ve been a member of Distiller for many months now, but it has come to my attention this evening that while I loyally love Irish whiskey, I have yet to post any reviews of one of my beloved Irish drams. We all have stories and explanations for why we love distilled spirits the way that we do. So I guess since I’m procrastinating tonight, I will elaborate a bit on mine. (Feel free to skip to the part of this post where I actually review some whiskey.) What would eventually become my love of Irish whiskey (and later Scotch) evolved out of a love for artisan root beer as a minor many, many years ago. I was a root beer snob growing up, always picking apart their characteristics and searching for something new to try. But, as I outgrew the all too frequent sweetness of root beer and acquired an obsession with spice, I morphed into a ginger beer snob. Later, when I was of legal drinking age and everyone else was chugging various (disgusting) forms of vodka cranberry, vodka juice, vodka yuck, etc., it was suggested to me that I try a Moscow Mule. Needless to say, I’m not a big fan of Moscow Mules (nor vodka). But, in trying to find other mixed drinks that would work with my love of ginger beer, I came across Irish Mules. What began with naive experimentation with Jameson and ginger beer evolved into a hunt for better quality Irish mixers and eventually landed me in the esteemed (or elitist?) paradise of Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey. Which all these years later brings me to this delicious bottle of triple distilled, Green Spot Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey. I think everyone is familiar with the story of the Mitchell family and how they added daubs of colored paint on the casks to mark the various ages of whiskey inside, so I will spare you all a recitation of that. Let’s get on with some review details! Age: NAS (but reportedly 7-10 years) Cask Type: A blend of ex-bourbon (first-fill and refill casks) and some ex-sherry ABV: 40% Price: $49.99 Nose: Creamy, sweet, and fruity. Rich, decadent French pastries (croissants, brioche, etc.). Buttery toffee, cream cheese, peach-apricot jam, and orange marmalade. D’Anjou pears, apple pie, and neroli oil. Hints of strawberry, Ceylon cinnamon, lemon zest, and raw walnuts. Given the ABV and triple-distillation, it is on the lighter side, but there are plenty of layers to uncover if you’re willing to go diving. Palate: Light-bodied yet rich. The nose transfers but is slightly more muted by comparison. Oily butter, breakfast cereal, honey, and dainty vanilla essence. There’s some green banana on the palate which I do not get on the nose, but I will say that I get loads of this with the Yellow Spot. Raisins, orchard fruit, and a mild, zesty spice (cinnamon and ginger). Faint sherry influence. Finish: Medium length and sweet. Honey, buttered cereal, and fruit basket. Slightly drying with vanilla to close. Verdict: Deceptively simple, easy to drink, and delicious. While I’ve had all three of the Spots (Green, Yellow, and Red), I have yet to do a side-by-side tasting of them to see how they truly compare to one another. I’m fairly confident Red Spot is my favorite, as the green banana notes completely dominate the Yellow Spot for me. But I’m less certain of how Green and Yellow Spot compare. In any case, Green Spot is delightful (if a little light on ABV - trying this at >40% would be so appreciated). While it’s typically a little more expensive and harder to find, I’d like to always be able to keep this and Redbreast 12 on my shelf as daily drinkers. Highly recommended (alongside Redbreast 12, which I also need to review) for those looking to explore the world of Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey. This falls in between a 4.0 and 4.25 but I’m going with 4.25 so I can give this a 90. 4.25 ~ 90 ~ Excellent