Whisky Focus - Green Spot Château Léoville Barton

Introducing Green Spot Château Léoville Barton, the first Bordeaux wine cask finished Irish whiskey.

Irish Distillers have unveiled a new permanent addition to the Green Spot Single Pot Still Irish whiskey core range, the Green Spot Château Léoville Barton the first ever Bordeaux wine cask finished Irish whiskey.

The new whiskey was initially matured in a traditional mix of ex-Oloroso sherry, new Bourbon and ex-Bourbon barrels the same maturation method used for the standard Green Spot we are already familiar with. The whiskeys were then transferred into ex-Bordeaux wine casks for between 12 and 24 months and Irish Distillers tell me that this has imparted distinctive, floral flavours of varying intensity, resulting in a perfectly balanced whiskey.

Kevin O’Gorman, Master of Maturation at the Midleton Distillery, commented: "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."

Anthony Barton, owner of Château Léoville Barton, added: "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."

Bottled at 46% ABV, Green Spot Château Léoville Barton is available from this month in five markets, including Ireland, UK and France, at the recommended selling price of £42 per 70cl.

You will find the complete range of Irish Single Pot Still whiskey including Green Spot available from The Whisky Exchange
 

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