Review #448 - Blue Spot 7 Year Cask Strength Irish Whiskey
The Spot Whiskey range is generally bottled at relatively standard strengths: the Green Spot comes in at 40% ABV, while the 12 year Yellow Spot and 15 year Red Spot are bumped up to 46% ABV. There is, however, a cask strength single pot still Irish whisky in this range: enter Blue Spot 7 Year.
Blue Spot is released in batches periodically, generally once or twice a year, since 2020. Traditionally, these Spot whiskies were distilled at the Jameson distillery in Ireland, before being matured and bottled by bonders Mitchell & Son - historically, they had a warehouse under the streets of Dublin, where they aged the whisky underground. Now, Midleton Distillery owns the process.
This batch of Blue Spot sports a 59.1% ABV bottling strength, and it keeps the same maturation that the previous batches have used: it's a mixture of ex-bourbon casks, ex-sherry butts, and ex-Madeira casks.
Blue Spot 7 Year Cask Strength Irish Whiskey
Ireland - Single Pot Still
Current Locally Available Price: USD 270 (2024)
Age Statement: 7 Years
Strength: 59.1% ABV
Cask Makeup: Ex-bourbon, ex-sherry, and ex-Madeira casks
Details: Not chill filtered
Tasting Methodology: Reviewed 2 times; bottles at 70% and 60% fill levels at times of review. Tasted in a Glencairn glass each time, rested 10-15 minutes
Nose: Balanced, maybe leaning a little bit sweet - there are grain notes like sweet oatmeal, fruits of orange, apple, and strawberry; butterscotch, vanilla, and honey add a sort of sugary side. In the background, there's a subtle savory scent, and the spirit has a nice weight to it.
Palate: A thick mouthfeel, and there's some warmth from both the strength and baking spices, specifically cinnamon. Oatmeal returns from the nose, but this palate is dominated by fruits: oranges, plums, sweet raisin, red apple. Brown sugar and burnt caramel add a sweet baking element; again, in the background, a subtle savory flavor that's hard to place, as well as a floral accent note. Great oily texture.
Finish: Medium-long, very warm and cozy, and with time, tannins prickle around the mouth. Fortified wine and stewed fruit flavors - prune, strawberry, orange - are still somewhat dominant, but we also get honeycomb in the aftertaste.
Final Note: Definitely a flavor bomb, if a bit wild and untamed. This is a good Irish whisky, one that shows off how powerful those different cask types can be; so many fruits to sort through, and the spirit still shows off those malty baking spices flavors from the grain.
The biggest issue with this bottle is the recent price increases, especially here in the US. Retailers are now selling this at $250 or more, which is ridiculous for this age statement, especially from a distillery with such a huge output like Midleton. Very tasty whisky, but we're not even considering buying at these prices.
Our Average Rating: 7.1 / 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: 4.80
About Us: We're a husband and wife review team living in the Midwest United States. Generally, our reviews and tasting notes will be a compilation of both of our experiences with a whisky over several tasting sessions.
Check out our other Spot whisky reviews:
Review #285 - Green Spot Irish Whiskey
Review #274 - Red Spot 15 Year
