Review #274 - Red Spot 15 Year
Like the other members of the Spot whisky collection, this 15 year old Red Spot is triple distilled at Midleton distillery. Its maturation process involves three types of casks: ex-bourbon barrels, ex-Oloroso sherry butts, and ex-Marsala wine casks, which hail from Sicily.
We get the benefits of some natural bottling characteristics as well: no chill filtration, and a strength of 46% ABV. As the elder statesman of the Spot whiskies, with its 15 year age statement, will this bottle be able to shine above the others?
Red Spot 15 Year
Ireland - Single Pot Still
Current Locally Available Price: USD 190 (2024)
Age Statement: 15 Years
Strength: 46% ABV
Cask Makeup: Ex-bourbon barrels, ex-Oloroso sherry butts, and Sicilian ex-Marsala casks
Details: Not chill filtered
Tasting Methodology: Reviewed 3 times over 2 years; bottles at 60%, 10%, and 70% fill levels at times of review. Tasted in a Glencairn glass each time, rested 10-15 minutes
Nose: A nice blend of oaky and wine notes. Baking spices of nutmeg, vanilla, and brown sugar come with a bit of a tannic flavor; figs, raisins, juicy prunes, and dark red berries come from the wine. There's cinnamon later on, and we get hints of dry oatmeal.
Palate: Peppery prickle up front, some tannic red wine, and then sweeter flavors flood the palate: oranges, strawberry, cherry candies, and bruleed sugar come to mind, and there's a more tart side of raisins and wine grapes. Oak adds a delicate warmth, and there's cardamom and cinnamon oatmeal in the mid palate. Later, we get hints of leather and tobacco; the mouthfeel has a medium thickness.
Finish: Lighter, more dry fruits to start: oranges and dry sherry influence. Nice mature oak flavors, and there's an oily texture that lingers. Hints of stewed fruit and tannins can be found, as well as baking notes: cinnamon, clove, pepper, and vanilla appeared across our tastings.
Final Note: A very nice whisky that's more refined and slightly reserved - never lacking flavor, but it delivers the wine and baking spice notes with more subtlety and complexity. The texture is especially nice in the palate and finish: oily, with a nice weight to the spirit, and great mature oak notes.
This 15 year old Red Spot is quite difficult to find in our area, and quite expensive, as well. Because of that, the whisky's value does suffer a bit.
Our Average Rating: 7.7 / 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: 4.92
Check out our other Spot whisky reviews:
