Green Spot Unveils First Bordeaux Wine Finished Irish Whiskey!

Green Spot Whiskey 2015

Irish Distillers Pernod Ricard has unveiled the first ever Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey to be finished in Bordeaux wine casks, Green Spot Château Léoville Barton.

Set in the heart of the Saint Julien appellation in Bordeaux, one of the most revered winemaking regions in the world, Léoville Barton is a grand cru Château renowned for producing world class wine. Léoville Barton is overseen today by Anthony and Lilian Barton, direct descendants of Thomas Barton, a ‘Wine Geese’* winemaker who founded a wine merchant company in 1725, after migrating from his native Ireland.

(*‘Wine Geese’ winemakers migrated from Ireland in the 16th, 17th and 18th Centuries to establish wineries in countries such as France, Spain, Australia and the USA, many of which are considered among the best in the world.)

Green Spot can trace its roots back to Dublin-based wine merchants, Mitchell & Son, who matured, bottled and sold the original Green Spot under bond. Established in 1805, Mitchell & Son aged whiskeys bought from John Jameson’s Bow St Distillery in Dublin in their own casks up until 1968, when the practice of selling whiskey to bonders in cask ceased. From that date, Green Spot was bottled by Irish Distillers who also produce Yellow Spot 12 Year Old and now the new Green Spot Château Léoville Barton.

Initially matured in a traditional mix of ex-Oloroso sherry, new Bourbon and ex-Bourbon barrels the whiskeys were then transferred into the ex-Bordeaux wine casks for between 12 and 24 months. This imparted distinctive, floral flavours of varying intensity, resulting in a perfectly balanced whiskey.

With its fresh taste profile featuring notes of green apple, vanilla, toffee and liquorice, Green Spot has been a favourite among Irish whiskey lovers thanks to the Mitchell family since the 19th Century, so it is an honour to launch a further extension to our Spot family.

Maturing Green Spot in the Château Léoville Barton wine casks provided a fascinating assortment of floral and wood characteristics on the nose and palate, which give way to a long, spicy finish reminiscent of the terroir in France and Ireland.
I hope whiskey fans enjoy this latest addition to our growing Single Pot Still family and join us in toasting this new whiskey resulting from of our shared Irish heritage.
– Kevin O’Gorman: Master of Maturation at the Midleton Distillery

We are delighted to collaborate with the Midleton Distillery to create the new Green Spot Château Léoville Barton.

Having been born in Ireland, whiskey is very close to my heart, and wine has been in my family for hundreds of years, so it is an enormous privilege to be able to merge the two now and share our heritage with the Mitchell family with such an exceptional result.
– Anthony Barton: owner of Château Léoville Barton

Bottled at 46% ABV, Green Spot Château Léoville Barton is available from June in five markets, including Ireland, UK and France.

Green Spot Château Léoville Barton tasting notes by Midleton Master Blender, Billy Leighton

Nose: It is the contribution of the French oak which drives the initial aroma adding some crisp woodland notes to the spicy Single Pot Still character.
The wine seasoning brings a delicate touch of floral perfume and a hint of ripe berries such as raspberries and strawberries, these are in addition to the orchard fruits typical of Green Spot.

Taste: The familiar mouth coating effect is a very satisfying balance of oak and spices. Some vanilla sweetness works in harmony with the dry wine influence, while the fresh orchard fruits and French oak combine effortlessly with barley grains to complete the complexity.

Finish: The rich French oak character is slow to fade leaving the wine and spices of France and Ireland with the last word.