Review #85: Green Spot Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey, OB, NAS, 40%, L405831033

how long do you think the label designer spent on this one?

I believe firmly that Irish whiskies are best consumed in the frigid months, but this one was on the floor in a cardboard box at the local BoozeMart for $45 (or $44.99 plus tax), and it seemed like a nice change of pace.

This is distilled at Midleton, like Redbreast (e.g.). It is a blend of sherry and bourbon casks, like Redbreast. It's triple distilled ... I saw somewhere that the recipe is different from Redbreast -- does that mean the proportion of malted/unmalted barley? According to the reliable wikipedia, it's between 8-9 years old and 25% sherry casks. (other sources say 7-10 years.) No doubt there is a funny story about how it's got its name. I'm calling it OB because the owner of the distillery is the same as the owner of the brand.

nose: cooked cereals, apricots, a little menthol, gooseberries, bourbony vanilla, figs, zesty apples. the label says "aromatic oils" -- I guess so -- there's a little sandalwood in there. sassafras, too. some of the fruitiness is a nice cross between tropical and stewed sherry fruits. coconut. something else -- hazelnut?

palate: nicely round and oily. 40% works well here -- the fruit is a little tangy, and this is about as refreshing as whiskey can get. a little bit of oaky body.

finish: uneventful, but the bourbony-sherry fruit lingers.

For me, there's something weirdly paradigmatic about this whiskey, even though I've never had it before: this is my impression of what the Form of Irish whiskey is supposed to taste like. This is very likeable whisky. Redbreast is deeper, more complex, but this is more fun. I could say it hits the spot, but there are no puns here in the TastingDome. Anyway, extra points for fun.

score: 84