Blue Spot 7 year old (2020)

It’s Blue Monday ladies and gentlemen! The most depressing day of the year “for some”. At least according to the British psychologist Cliff Carnall, who coined this term. However, we are just a splash of colour away from happiness with the new Blue Spot. So let’s turn that frown upside down!

The Blue Spot is the final addition to the Spot range and so the series is complete again. It is the first time since the 1960s that it has been released.

The Irish Spot range, which consists of single pot still whiskey only, is still specially produced for Mitchell & Son of Dublin by Irish Distillers at the Midleton Distillery. Making it one of the few remaining Irish bonded whiskeys.

The name derives from how Mitchell’s arranged his casks, as they all got a spot of colored paint. In this way the casks of different ages were marked.

The range now consists of 4 whiskeys, with the most famous one the Green Spot (was 10 years old, but nowadays a NAS), the 12 year old Yellow Spot, the 15 year old Red Spot and now also back again: the 7 year old Blue Spot. A special one in the series, because this Madeira-aged Spot is the only one bottled at cask strength.

This Blue Spot has matured in bourbon barrels, sherry butts and Madeira casks for at least 7 years. Bottled at a strength of 58.7% ABV.

Blue Spot tasting notes:

Nose: a whiff of sweet cherries, almost candy-like. Red apples and later also ripe bananas. Roasted almonds. There’s a mixture of spices, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves. A hint of coffee and caramel.

Taste: a rather nice array of spices, mixed with Madeira influence. Cinnamon, cloves and black pepper. Honey and toffee. Vanilla and almonds. Sweet cherries again, but less candy-like as in the nose. A touch of oak. Coffee with sugar.

Finish: mid-long. Liquorice and the same spices as on the palate. Toffee (for the Dutch, it reminded me of Haagse hopjes).

An incredibly good mix between the single pot still whiskey and the chosen barrels. Everything comes through, but never out of balance. Full of flavour. Possibly the best out of the Spot range that I ever tried.