| Whiskey | Gold Spot Irish Whiskey (Generations Edition) |
| Distillery | Midleton Distillery |
| Region | County Cork, Ireland |
| Type | Irish Whiskey |
| Mash Bill | 100% Barley (Malted and Unmalted) |
| Proof / ABV | 92 Proof / 46% ABV |
| Aging | Matured for 13 Years sherry casks and finished 16 months in Recioto della Valpolicella casks |
| Filtration | Chill Filtered |
| MSRP | $300 |
| Release Year | 2024 |
Gold Spot Whiskey Tasting Notes
Appearance: Dark Golden Honey
Nose: Honey, vanilla, dark fruits, black cherry, plum, apricot, light oak, nuts
Palate: Rich honey sweetness, vanilla, toasted oak, light fruits, apricot, apple, cinnamon spice, malt, light notes of dark fruit, dark cherry, plum, pepper, clove, white chocolate, leather, earthy, oaky tannic spice
Finish: Rich bold finish that is a nice combination of oily oaky tannic spice and light fruits with a lingering pepper spice
Is Gold Spot an Approachable Whiskey?
Gold Spot is an approachable whiskey, but it has a bit of a punch to it (in a good way).
If you’re an experience whiskey drinker, you will likely appreciate the rich oaky tannic spice it has in comparison with other Irish Whiskey that generally prioritize smoothness and lighter finishes.
This bottle, however, has a big and bold rich finish that leaves you with a peppery spice on the palate that lasts quite a while.
With that being said, this is a whiskey that I would reserve for experienced whiskey drinkers rather than beginners to whiskey.
Not only is it a $300 bottle, but it offers more nuanced flavors than what I would expect a whiskey beginner to enjoy.
Is Gold Spot Complex?
Gold Spot has a nice level of complexity and depth to it.
This bottle is aged in a unique process compared to most other Irish Whiskeys and Scotches.
Rather than aging the whiskey in ex-bourbon barrels and then finished it in sherry and wine casks, the whiskey is split into two batches and aged for 13 years in parallel.
One batch is aged for 13 years in ex-bourbon barrels and the other is aged for 13 years in ex-sherry casks.
Both of those batches are then finished for 16 months in Recioto della Valpolicella casks from Italy and combined into the final product.
It is no surprise why this Gold Spot (and also Red Spot) are so rich and full of fruit flavors because half of the whiskey is fully aged in Sherry Casks for 13 years.
This results in an extremely rich dark fruit flavor profile from the Sherry casks full of raisin, plum, and black cherry notes that really shine through in the final product.
In addition, you get all the nice honey and toffee flavor notes from 13 years in bourbon barrels that offer the backbone of the whiskey with layers of oaky tannic spice and vanilla notes.
The finish in Italian wine casks is just a beautiful bonus on top.
What are Gold Spot’s strongest attributes/flavors?
Gold Spot’s strongest attribute is is that it offers delicious dark fruit flavors from the sherry and Italian wine finish while also offering a structured oaky tannic spice-forward backbone by integrating 13 years in an ex-bourbon barrel.
Is Gold Spot a go-to whiskey?
Gold Spot is extremely expensive for whiskey in general, but especially for an Irish Whiskey which is usually on the cheaper end of the spectrum.
With that being said and as delicious as this bottle is, I will be reserving this bottle for special occasions and to drink with friends who can really appreciate a unique whiskey.
Is Gold Spot Whiskey priced accurately to its quality?
To be honest, this bottle is a bit overpriced and I wish it had been cheaper.
It is a delight to drink, but $300 is extremely pricey and I still think I like the $200 Red Spot more.
I understand that this is a special limited-release celebrating the 7th generation of the Mitchell family, but the $300 price point is just a bit high here.
Also, I just prefer Red Spot more than this bottle overall.
Granted, Red Spot is probably my favorite Irish Whiskey in my collection in close comparison with my bottle of Bushmills 16 Year.
My advice would be to buy yourself a bottle of Red Spot if you don’t have it and then if you are a big fan of Irish Whiskey and have the money to spend, pick up this special limited-release bottle.
Conclusion for Gold Spot Irish Whiskey
Gold Spot 13 Year – Generations Edition is a delicious whiskey.
It has a nice structure to it from the ex-bourbon barrel finish, it’s non-chill filtered so it has an excellent finish and mouthfeel layered with all the delicious fruit flavors from the maturation in ex-sherry casks and finishing in Italian wine barrels.
This is a luxury bottle that you should buy if you are a big fan of Irish Whiskey and want to treat yourself to a special bottle, especially if you are more of a collector or connoisseur who appreciates all the nuances that come along with a limited special release.
If you’re looking for the best Irish Whiskey to add to your collection, I would steer you toward buying a bottle of Red Spot because I think it is the pinnacle of Irish Whiskey at or around the $200 price point.
To be honest, it’s so hard for me to review a bottle like this because I can appreciate all the subtle flavors and differences that are offered with the unique finish, but when push comes to shove, it’s going to take a lot to bump the Red Spot out of my top spot in the Irish Whiskey category.
0 Comments