There are bottles you reach for when you want to impress, and bottles you reach for when you want to drink well. Green Spot is, mercifully, both. This single pot still Irish whiskey carries a heritage that predates most of the craft distillery boom by about a century — the 'Spot' system of coloured dots was once used by Mitchell & Son wine merchants in Dublin to denote the age of whiskeys maturing in their bonded warehouse. Green Spot was the youngest, and ultimately the only one to survive the long, bleak decades when Irish whiskey nearly disappeared entirely.
I first encountered Green Spot in a bar on Dawson Street, years before the current wave of Irish whiskey enthusiasm made such things fashionable. It was recommended by a bartender who looked faintly offended when I ordered a Jameson. He was right to intervene. This is a whiskey that operates on a different frequency from the standard Irish blend — the pot still character gives it a weight and spiciness that catches you off guard if you're expecting something gentle and easy.
At 40% ABV and carrying no age statement, Green Spot doesn't announce itself with bombast. It doesn't need to. The single pot still method — using a mash of both malted and unmalted barley, distilled in traditional copper pot stills — is uniquely Irish, and it produces a texture and grain character you simply don't find in Scotch or bourbon. There's an oiliness to the mouthfeel, a roundness that makes it drink above its proof.
Tasting Notes
I won't fabricate specific notes from memory alone — this is a whiskey that rewards your own discovery. What I will say is that the pot still backbone gives Green Spot a characteristic spice and cereal richness that fans of the style will recognise immediately. Expect orchard fruit, a certain honeyed warmth, and that unmistakable pot still pepperiness that builds gradually. It's matured in a combination of bourbon and sherry casks, which lends it a gentle complexity without overwhelming the distillery character.
The Verdict
At around £44.75, Green Spot sits in a sweet spot — forgive the pun — where quality and value genuinely overlap. It's more interesting than most whiskeys at twice the price, and it serves as a superb introduction to the single pot still category for anyone who hasn't yet explored it. For those who already know the style, it remains a benchmark. I'm giving it a 7.8 out of 10: a thoroughly well-made whiskey with real character and genuine heritage, only held back from a higher score by the 40% ABV, which I suspect slightly muffles what the spirit could truly show at a higher strength.
This is the kind of bottle that earns its place on a shelf not through scarcity or marketing, but through the simple fact that you keep reaching for it.
Best Served
Pour it neat in a Glencairn, let it sit for five minutes, and drink it slowly on a cool evening. If you must add water, a few drops only — the pot still texture is part of the pleasure and you don't want to dilute it away. It also makes a remarkable Irish Coffee, where its spice and weight stand up to the cream and coffee far better than a standard blend ever could.
