Appearance – This Single Pot Still whiskey is mid gold in colour, beads up on the swirl line, and has slow thin legs and beads.
Nose – There is a fair ABV whack, lots of red berries, cream soda too, slight menthol, also dusty, royal icing sugar, the red fruit is quite strong on the nose.
Lots of dark fruit notes and Christmas spices (cinnamon, clove and nutmeg) #thewhiskeychaps
— Whisk(e)y Chap 🏴🥃 (@whiskeychap) December 17, 2020
I agree, again not what I expected tbh.#thewhiskeychaps
— Dram it Mick! (@StillSurreal) December 17, 2020
Palate – Lovely mouthfeel, syrupy, quite spicy, lots of ginger, blood oranges and cranberries, it’s a little drying. It’s getting spicier @gordonsmith63 might like this tbh, cigar leaves, cinnamon buns, ginger, but not the sweet stuff, some tannins, that’s quite a spice bomb tbh.
Definitely a high cocoa content dark chocolate 👍.#thewhiskeychaps
— Dram it Mick! (@StillSurreal) December 17, 2020
Finish – Quite long, the spice continues, lots of oak and some tannins. The red fruit is still there, but dunnage, spice and cigar leaves take the lead, it’s a good finish tbh.
My thoughts – I so came to this whiskey with the wrong ideas, i came to it thinking about Green and Yellow spot whiskies, and younger whiskies, totally wrong as it would turn out. From looking at it in the glass it was obvious that this Single Pot Still Whiskey was going to be a syrupy affair, and it is, it has a super mouthfeel, then the ABV throws itself at you like Maureen O’Hara in the arms of John Wayne in the Quite Man, and it’s spicy, so not expected but very welcome. There’s also great depth to it, so there must be whiskies in it that are well over 7 years old, overall it all comes together to produce a fantastic whiskey that i think sits very well in the Spots range, it brings the spices that the other Spots don’t have in such abundance.
Would i buy a bottle? – Definitely, it is a belter in my humble opinion, and if and when it becomes available regularly i’d happily have a bottle available at all times.
Notes – This bottling is none chill filtered and at cask strength.