Blue Spot 7 Year old Irish Whiskey

I’ve never seen anything like it. Well, almost never. In 2015 at Spirit of Toronto I was swept along by a human wave that had heard that they were pouring from a single bottle of Yamazaki 18. I was pushed right to the front and because I wasn’t one of the ones thrusting my glass forward, the server made eye contact with me and poured me a small amount. I managed to make it back to some of my friends and we all got to taste what had been named the world’s best whisky.

I suppose this week was not quite as dramatic. On Wednesday I heard from a Connosr friend that he had noticed a few bottles of Blue Spot pop up at a store near him and he had picked a couple of bottles up. I was immediately hit with FOMO and saw that there were two stores both hard for me to get to (while covering the West half of North York because we are short-staffed). I kept re-checking and then saw a store that was closer had them. I called and was told they could not hold a bottle for me but I could order online for same day pickup. I explained that I had tried but was unable to. She agreed to hold a bottle but only for an hour. When I got there most were gone, she told me she had had 50 calls and mine was the only one she held. There were a couple left but she was limiting everyone to a single bottle. Fair enough.

As I made my way home I made the mistake of checking the website again. I saw some bottles available at a store not far from my home and rationalized that, dressed in my scrubs, maybe I would visit a patient nearby (I ended up not doing so). I called a few times and got someone on the phone. Same question. Same answer, same rebuttal. I said I could be there in 15 minutes. She said “15 minutes? OK. How many do you want?” I was not prepared for such a question so I said 2.

When I got there the mood was not good. There were people hovering (2m apart, of course, this was not the Ottawa “freedom convoy”) around the service desk. I heard some angry words near the desk. A woman came up to us and asked if anyone was waiting for the Blue Spot. We raised our hands. She said she was sorry but they were all out. I said that the person I spoke to said she was holding them for me and she asked for my name. She came out with a case (wine on the label) and motioned that I should follow her. Others followed as well. She said she could only give me one. I said “no problem”. Another man started berating her and threatening to have her fired because she was not following policy (was she not? I didn’t see him holding a copy of the policy manual). I remained silent and polite while my purchase was rung up and I watched my back all the way to my car…

So what is the fuss all about? Well a very small quantity of what appears to be a recent revival of a batch-released whiskey from Mitchell and Son, based in Dublin. I’m sure you are all aware that the name is from the colours they dot onto various barrels to indicate how many years they are to age. There has been no release of Blue Spot in many years. A first batch was released in 2020 and is reviewed by @markjedi1 here:

connosr.com/blue-spot-7-year-old-cask-stre…

This is the second (2021) release, bottled at 0.2% higher than the first one. I have no details about the Blue Spot of decades past, but this one is cask strength, and contains single pot still spirit that was matured for “at least 7 years in Bourbon barrels, Sherry butts and Portuguese Madeira casks”. It is not chill-filtered. Neither the canister nor the bottle say anything about whether any e150a has been added. So, is it worth all this drama?

I opened this on Wednesday and am tasting it again three days later. This expression is reviewed in my usual manner, allowing it to settle after which I take my nosing and tasting notes, followed by the addition of a few drops of water, waiting, then nosing and tasting. I decided to to try it in three glasses - a Tùath Irish Whiskey glass, a Glencairn, and a Brilliant Highland Glass. I should note that I rarely use the Tùath because I find it mutes the nose, but I decided to give it another shot because this is a new Irish whisky for me.

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Nose: 22/25

In the Tùath - Rich syrupy nose, sweet. A little dusty. Not much else. Very muted nose.

In the Glencairn - Rich and fruity, syrupy, tropical fruits. caramel apples. Flawless.

In the Highland glass - Very rich nose, fruity, syrupy. It has a freshness to it not in the other glasses. I get a little pineapple and citrus.

With water, in the Tùath I get slightly more fruitiness. The Glencairn I notice has less fruitiness and a more muted nose. The Highland glass continues to shine with tropical fruits and spices.

Taste: 22/25 (with water 23/25)

In the Tùath - A little hot on first sip. Rich mouthfeel. Fruity, spicy, sweet. Some caramel and vanilla.

In the Glencairn - Sweet and spicy arrival, lots of caramel and vanilla. A little less fruity. Very rich.

In the Highland glass -Similar to the Glencairn. The Ashok manoeuvre (gentle warming) brings out an explosion of flavour and brings out the tropical fruits.

With water, with the Tùath I taste the tropical fruits. It is richer. The spiciness remains. In the Glencairn it has a smoother arrival with spice and vanilla forward with caramel in the development. In the Highland glass it is rich and spicy with fruits and caramel.

Finish: 22/25

In the Tùath - Long, peppery finish, hint of menthol.

In the Glencairn - Very similar to the Tùath

In the Highland glass - The finish lingers with black pepper.

With water, the pepperiness of the finish dissipates a little sooner in the Tùath. In the Glencairn the pepperiness is attenuated but lasts a bit longer. Same with the Highland glass.

Balance: 22/25 (with water 23/25)

In the Tuath , Glencairn and Highland glasses the nose and the palate complement each other.

With a bit of water, on balance, the flavours open up a bit and it becomes richer, more layered and complex.

Score: Neat - 88/100 With Water: 90/100

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The only other CS pot still whisky I have is Redbreast 12 YO CS. It was peer pressure from some fellow Connosrs (you know who you are) that got me to pour a small dram to compare to the Blue Spot. It should be noted that though the cask types may be different and there is a stated 5 year age difference, both are distilled by Middleton, so this should be interesting. In a Highland glass only.

This batch B1/15 57.4%. Neat, I get more cinnamon in the Redbreast, some apple. A sweet and spicy nose. The taste is very different. more bass notes and dark fruits, with some spiciness on the tongue. Water enhances the nose and sweetens the palate, which becomes much richer. I generally do prefer this one with water.

So what happens when the two whiskies, separated by date of birth and maturation warehouse, are reunited by mixing in a 1:1 ratio?

Both the nose and palate become more complex. I thought the 12 YO would overpower its younger step-sibling but in fact what you get is something that is neither one nor the other. It has the spice of the Blue Spot with added depth of the Redbreast. A successful reunion indeed.

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This is a great whisky. It reminds me a tiny bit of Nadurra 16 YO, though I did not pour some to compare. It’s the clean, flawless characteristic of it that makes me think that.

Is it worth the effort to get it? Definitely. Am I glad I picked up a spare? For $100? For sure! I know I am biased by being one of the lucky ones who got some, but even if I had scored it a 99, it’s not worth being rude and intimidating to employees for. It’s a great whisky, but there are a lot of great whiskies out there. And I will be sure to share this with people I know who will appreciate it, because a whisky like this is meant for sharing, not hoarding.

Thanks to @Fiddich1980 for alerting me to Blue Spot. This one is fun to review and fun to enjoy. If you have patience, it improves in the glass for hours.