As from what started as a wake up call and a kick in the face of complacency by Cooley Distillery, has now well and truly evolved into a right rollicking and rocking revolution care of those folks at Irish Distillers and their mighty fine range of Midleton Pot Still whiskies.
Just when
you thought they couldn’t or wouldn’t need to top last springs launch of the aforementioned
range, which included such dramming ditties as Power’s
John Lane, Barry Crockett Legacy and Green Spot, a few months later they went
onto play a real dramming trump card when they released a cask strength version of their
already very vivacious and delicious Redbreast 12 Year Old. Did we like it?
Well let’s just say it went on to be our dram of the year for 2011.
Onwards and upwards and would you adam and eve it, they’ve done it again. Following in the shadows of Green Spot, which to be honest I wasn’t exactly blown away by, now sees the release or technically the re-release of Yellow Spot. A 12 Year Old bottling from Midleton which was last produced in the early 1960’s by Dublin based wine merchants Mitchell & Son.
The nose kicks off with a flouncing frolicking fruity foray of overly ripe peaches, sun drenched nectarines and dried apricots. Followed by wallowing waves of cough candy, pink marshmallows and pronounced punchy puffs of clove driven winter and wood spice.
A freshly mowed lawn surrounded by hedgerows that exude a blooming bounty of Turkish roses make for the next set of sensations, along with a generous glug of lemon infused honey, the orange and cherry elements from a well made Old Fashioned cocktail, and a cheeky last minute charge of chargrilled banana.
A big wonderlicious wedge of treacle tart and the aroma from a warm comforting slice of jam roly poly bring a homely air to the proceedings, along with faint teasing whiffs of butterscotch, vanilla fudge and something distinctly dessert wine-esque.
The palate kicks off with all the sticky sweet zingy innards and outards of a honey and lemon Lockets Lozenge, followed by a dominant yet beautifully balanced follow through of cloves, wood spice and a subtle sassy lick of liquorice.
Those pink marshmallows make a return this time topping a warming mug of mochachino, that’s been served with a generous serving of apple and plum cobbler. Followed by fried slices of plantain that have been dusted with fine pinch-ettes of cayenne pepper, and washed down with another glug of that desert wine.
Orange oil infused honey and more of that vanilla fudge, this time in the still hot and setting variety make for the next set of palatable pleasures, along with the sensation you get when sitting by an open window of a train as it chugs along through the country on a still summer scorcher of an afternoon.
If you’re after an impressive long lingering finish then you certainly won’t be short changed here, where it’s a case of citrus, sweet’n’spice and all things very nice. A perfect finale to a dram that's delivered in balanced abundance all the way.
Though whilst enjoying this fine drop drammage, you may be forgiven for thinking that you’ve infact been enjoying something not of the Pot Still variety. As at times it’s rather reminiscent of something you’d find over the other side of the Irish sea to the east of Scotland in Speyside. But rest assured it's Irish all the way and just a testament to the versatility and depths that can be found in Pot Still whiskey.
Onwards and upwards and would you adam and eve it, they’ve done it again. Following in the shadows of Green Spot, which to be honest I wasn’t exactly blown away by, now sees the release or technically the re-release of Yellow Spot. A 12 Year Old bottling from Midleton which was last produced in the early 1960’s by Dublin based wine merchants Mitchell & Son.
The nose kicks off with a flouncing frolicking fruity foray of overly ripe peaches, sun drenched nectarines and dried apricots. Followed by wallowing waves of cough candy, pink marshmallows and pronounced punchy puffs of clove driven winter and wood spice.
A freshly mowed lawn surrounded by hedgerows that exude a blooming bounty of Turkish roses make for the next set of sensations, along with a generous glug of lemon infused honey, the orange and cherry elements from a well made Old Fashioned cocktail, and a cheeky last minute charge of chargrilled banana.
A big wonderlicious wedge of treacle tart and the aroma from a warm comforting slice of jam roly poly bring a homely air to the proceedings, along with faint teasing whiffs of butterscotch, vanilla fudge and something distinctly dessert wine-esque.
The palate kicks off with all the sticky sweet zingy innards and outards of a honey and lemon Lockets Lozenge, followed by a dominant yet beautifully balanced follow through of cloves, wood spice and a subtle sassy lick of liquorice.
Those pink marshmallows make a return this time topping a warming mug of mochachino, that’s been served with a generous serving of apple and plum cobbler. Followed by fried slices of plantain that have been dusted with fine pinch-ettes of cayenne pepper, and washed down with another glug of that desert wine.
Orange oil infused honey and more of that vanilla fudge, this time in the still hot and setting variety make for the next set of palatable pleasures, along with the sensation you get when sitting by an open window of a train as it chugs along through the country on a still summer scorcher of an afternoon.
If you’re after an impressive long lingering finish then you certainly won’t be short changed here, where it’s a case of citrus, sweet’n’spice and all things very nice. A perfect finale to a dram that's delivered in balanced abundance all the way.
Though whilst enjoying this fine drop drammage, you may be forgiven for thinking that you’ve infact been enjoying something not of the Pot Still variety. As at times it’s rather reminiscent of something you’d find over the other side of the Irish sea to the east of Scotland in Speyside. But rest assured it's Irish all the way and just a testament to the versatility and depths that can be found in Pot Still whiskey.
