Review #252 - Green Spot Chateau Leoville Barton
Ex-Bordeaux wine casks - that's the shtick. This is a triple-distilled single pot still Irish whisky from Midleton, bottled under the Green Spot label from Mitchell and Son. Their collaboration with Chateau Leoville Barton came around due to the shared Irish heritage of the distillery and the winery, a trend that continued - there have also been Green Spot whiskies finished in Chateau Montelena wine casks and Quail's Gate wine casks. The distillery and all of these wineries share some Irish heritage.
There's no age statement on the bottle or the website, but Green Spot is generally believed to be made from whisky aged for 7 to 10 years; with the added time for the finishing casks, that might be 8 to 12 years, but that's only an educated guess.
There aren't any statements on artificial coloring or chill filtration, either, but we do get this at a pleasant 46% ABV.
Green Spot Chateau Leoville Barton
Ireland - Single Pot Still
Price Paid: USD 60 (2023 - at auction)
Current Locally Available Price: USD 99 (2024)
Age Statement: NAS
Strength: 46% ABV
Cask Makeup: American oak ex-bourbon and ex-sherry casks, finished in Chateau Leoville Barton French oak Bordeaux wine casks
Tasting Methodology: Reviewed 3 times over 2 months; bottles at 30%, 90%, and 70% fill levels at times of review. Tasted in a Glencairn glass each time, rested 10-15 minutes
Nose: Sweet and a strong wine influence - lots of fruit and baking spices. Caramel, brown sugar, Christmas spices like cardamom and cinnamon, molasses; there's orange, candied strawberry, prunes, and plum. There's just a hint of earthy character from the casks as well, and with the addition of water, more woody scents appear.
Palate: Medium mouthfeel; again, strong wine influence brings rich dried fruits like raisin and orange, pomegranate and cranberry. The spices from the French oak take the form of nutmeg, clove, and cardamom. Lots of mulled wine and fruitcake, and later, cinnamon and sweet oak mingle, with a hint of malt.
Finish: Medium length or so, and the trends from the nose and palate continue. Baking spices of brown sugar, cinnamon, and cardamom; coffee cake and Christmas cake; acidic fruits of plum, prune, and tart grape; there's demerara sugar, butterscotch, and vanilla adding a sweeter side.
Final Note: Lots of flavor packed in here, and while it stayed in the vein of baking spice and reddish purple fruits, there was enough diversity to keep it interesting. A very pleasant whisky to drink - none of the flavors were too brave or challenging, but it's a great whisky for a cozy environment with lots of comforting holiday tastes.
We were able to find this at auction for a more reasonable price - from that perspective, it's great value. Based on the pricing at retail locations near us, the price is closer to $100, and value is more average.
Our Average Rating: 7.2 / 10
In the current whisky landscape of increasing prices and variable quality, we've added a value rating to our reviews that relates to the score and the available pricing of each whisky. This roughly equates to a 0-10 scale; no reviews so far have exceeded a score of 10, although it is technically possible for the formula to produce a value rating higher than 10 with a high enough score and low enough price.
Value Rating: 6.20
