ralfy review 887 - Red Spot Irish Pot Still Whiskey @ 46%vol:
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 19 ก.ย. 2024
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115 is madness though. Same with the Redbreast 15. Overpriced because there is a dearth of aged Irish. I'm in Ireland and buy all my whisky through Germany for massive savings. RB 15 in Ireland is 100 euro.... Germany sells it for 60. Globalisation and govt greed gone mad. Great review by the way!
Does postage not bump it up a bit? Drank few btls Green Spot a few years ago was pretty good.
@@spiced32 15 euro for postage up to a max of 16 bottles, which is what I generally order. Not bad per bottle. I usually sell a MVR in order to fund the purchase. Can't go wrong with GS, which can be decent value.
What’s the name of the place you buy from please ?
Ireland here too.
Care to share the website ?
Damn, so crayzie, 100 Euro for a 15 year old smh.
I love Yellow Spot, Green Spot is my wife's favorite. Two years ago I found a bottle of Red Spot at my local grocery store for just over $100 US. I generally see it well over $200 US when I can find it. The liquor manager said he didn't charge as much as he could have out of loyalty to his customers. It's a wonderful dram. I found it while doing grocery shopping on Father's Day. I figured the cosmos was rewarding me for doing family errands rather than lazing about!
Hey, you deserved it. And it’s really a wonderful dram, one of the few world class Irish Whiskeys I know, and I’ll always try having a backup bottle when the price isn’t too silly.
"Senility is something else...I'll deal with that later" Thanks for the laugh, Ralfy.
Green Spot is my favorite Irish, But I also keep Yellow Spot in my stash. Lately I've been lucky to find the Green Spot Chateau Montelena (California Zinfandel) Finish and Green Spot Chateau Leoville Barton (Bordeaux) Finish editions and they are both absolutely incredible.
Mitchell & Son historically bought the barrels and stored them themselves and then bottled it themselves. This was pretty common of the time as my Grandfather did the same thing with Powers, Jameson and the Bow street distillery, buying barrels of distillate and owning them, whilst still stored in the distillery and then taking delivery of them and bottling and branding them upon a long enough time (5, 10 years etc.). But most of it came to an end in 71` when Irish Distilleries moved all production to Middleton. But Mitchell I think are the last company still doing the bonded whiskey thing but they no longer keep the barrels but stored in Middleton and not with them in Dublin.
. . . interesting comment ! . . . thanks.
Irish whiskey in the US has been getting pricey too- even some of the blends. My go to pot still for awhile now has been Powers Three Swallow. At $40 its a great value. But please don't tell Powers that.
Bought a bottle on my way out of Dublin Airport of the 3 Swallows and enjoying a wee dram of it. Superb whiskey. I bought a Green Spot and Redbreast 12 however the Powers is pound for price the best of them.
I recently personally discovered Powers 12 and I found it so rich in flavors that I went for another bottle for the backup) It is 46%, pure pot still, non-chillfiltered cheaper than any 12yo scotch (when discounts) - seems a win-win offer.
Just picked up a bottle ($140) of this at the distillery in Midleton after a fabulous "behind the scenes" tour (highly recommend, ask for Ciara😍) We were given three tastings which included the Red Spot, and it was revelation. Think i may swing by and buy another before heading home. Also picked up the Yellow Spot as well, you can't go wrong with a Ralfy recommends! Great Review as always!
Fingers crossed you lay hands on a bottle of Blue spot soon! It's my favourite of the series, so I'd love to hear your thoughts on it!
Love Spot whiskey, my favorite has to be Green Spot with all expressions, follow up by yellow, Blue Spot is so hard to get and so pricey, I was in the store other day it was $227(I think it's absolutely ridiculous price for it). Great review as usual thank you for all your knowledge.
Blue spot is amazing can't understand why that store is charging so much 80 euros on release here in Ireland and Irish whiskey is usually cheaper in the US.
Another insightful review. My thanks. Nevertheless, I bring up the price/value matter you alluded to. I’ve become a big fan of Irish whiskey here in Los Angeles. I’ve enjoyed Green Spot, Yellow Spot, and have a yet unopened bottle of Red Spot. But the Yellow Spot now sells for around $100 dollars; the Red Spot, which I purchased “pre-COVID” for about $125, is now available for over $200. Compare those prices with Midleton’s luscious Redbreast 12 y.o. Cask Strength or its Lustau, both holding steady at around $70. I think there’s a certain amount of subtle marketing “flannel” and allocation games with the “Spots” that drive up their prices. The whole Redbreast portfolio is hard to beat. My desert island dram remains the Redbreast 12 CS.
Even Redbreast has gone up a lot in New Hampshire where I live. The 12 yo CS goes for over $90. Irish whiskey used to be a good value but like any whiskey once something gets popular...way up.
@@pauldenali6367 Wow! I’m originally from Mass. and have fond memories of driving to N.H. “state” stores to buy. I think they were open on Sundays, which when I was growing up was unheard of, indeed illegal, in Massachusetts. But in any case it was wicked cheaper in New Hampshire. L.A. has a very competitive retail scene.
@@mgordo2 Ah yes, the "blue laws of MA". I remember that well as I lived there for a decade or so. Quite a coincidence. Prices at our "state" stores in NH have the reputation of being really competitive and that is true for most things. For others not so much. Ironically it can be cheaper to pick up certain bottles in MA at private stores where they don't have a monopoly on prices. Cheers!
Looks like the bothy has returned to typical temps and warmer clothing is needed. Enjoying the Green and Blue Spots but haven't tried the Red yet. Liked the history lesson combined with whisk(e)y talk and tasting.
A gold medal review for an Irish from Ralfy! Delighted with that!
Red Spot sounds great. I like it better when a whisky is matured in different casks in parallel than when it's "finished". Cheers, Ralfy!
I love uncutted versions of Ralphy reviews. So natural. Sneeze Ralphy as much as you need. God bless.
I've had the pleasure of obtaining and enjoying all the Spot whiskies. The green ( 3 of them ), the Blue, Yellow and Red . The Blue is the most difficult to acquire as is the Red . Both around $150 here in Florida. The Blue was a disappointment. 7 yo at cask strength. Twas harsh. 7 is 7 no matter what the ABV !
My personal favorite out of the line is the Green Chateau Leoville Barton.
A superb dram triple matured in bourbon, sherry and Bordeaux casks. Again very hard to find ...
As Ralfy mentions high end Irish whisky is very pricey. If you find one of the better ones buy it now because the price is only going to escalate!
Cheers!
Great review.
Love the Red Spot. Only buy it when it Europe since price is silly in the US. €130 vs $388.
Still waiting to sip this one. Missed it at the LCBO when it was there.
Thank you for sharing, Ralfy!
The paint spots were marked on the barrels to signify the age - Blue 7, Green 10, Yellow 12, Red 15. So while there is no age statement on a Green Spot bottle, it is a proper ten year old. The last time a Blue Spot was sold under the original Mirchell bottlings from their Dublin bonded warehouse, was 1964. Madiera casking was instigated by Mitchells, apparently.
Anyway, thanks for letting me know there is a Blue Spot about - I'll be hunting them down too.
I love the Green Spot - Yellow and Red are over my budget, but given what the Blue could be I'll jump as soon as I see one.
Thanks for another stormer of a review Ralfy. I think you have a better gig than Clarkson!
I'm afraid to tell you that Green Spot has not been 10 yo for quite a few years. Mitchells won't say what age it is but you can expect to be drinking a 7 or 8 yo whiskey
Drowned that 46%er in water 😂. Ralf, you taught us many things but its one of the things I don’t like to learn.
Sounds wonderful, I may just have to try it for myself! The green spot is beautiful so looking forward to the red spot. On a side note I’d highly recommend WD O Connell 10yo it’s a phenomenal dram, Similar to Aran 10yo In my opinion!
Of the two you mention early I haven't tried Paddy myself but I do enjoy Powers, Jameson is overrated I'd rather Bushmills. Anything higher in the price ranges here I don't really have the money for but it's nice to hear your take on this. I might buy a bottle for special occasion or something, a celebratory dram. Hope you're well Ralfy.
Don’t have this bottle but this video inspired me to pour a dram of redbreast 12 cask strength and now I remember why that is still one of the best whiskies I’ve ever had. Slainté Ralfy!
Hello Ralfy, thanks for the review of the Red Spot, sounds like a wonderful whiskey. I found a shop here in San Francisco offering some for sale at $350 US a bottle. Guess I'll have to take your word for it. Cheers!
I last saw it at $135 and I thought that was too much. Years ago I bought a Yellow Spot for $90 and still have not opened it.
Soft Manuka Honey! I tip my bonnet to that too but I wear baseball caps. I picked up a bottle today for $146 in Colorado...Thanks Ralfy!
Thanks Ralfy for review red one ! Well done ! I haven’t try red or blue and as you said blue one is hard to find even in Ireland ! Green and yellow I had it in past ! Good stuff !!!
Great review Ralfy, have been considering trying Irish Whiskey, not a fan of blends anywhere, those typically dominate the American market. The Red, Green or other spots of various colors are most appealing, especially after your review!
Great vídeo! These irish prices are over the top (dont know if beig the EU country with highest tax on alcohol is adding to this issue). The unmalted barley in irish mash bills are not idle at all since some of the amilase protein in excess in the malted barley will enable fermentation of the sugars on the unmalted (depending on diastolic strength on the barley type). Here goes my to cents on the topic. Cannot get this version here in Portugal, but the green spot C. Montelena is one of the best drams I ever had. Cheers!
Great comment. I'm sure that starches in unmalted barley will be converted to sugars by the amylase, however the unmalted grain will not contribute malty flavors (but it will contribute grainy flavors). So it does contribute to alcohol production, just not the flavor, at least not like malt.
@@alexk3088 yes, the contribution in flavour is very different. And I'm very excited to see what new gems can come up from there in the next years since Irish whisky is coming back strong, and hopefully not with so over the top prices (like this one). Cheers!
Thanks Ralfy
Love your knowledge of Irish Whiskey Ralfy, yes pot still belongs to all Irish distilleries not just the Midleton lads n lassies, but they do need to be recognised for keeping the style alive, sláinte.
It does belong to them in a way because for many years they were the only people making it.
Finally got to try Green Spot and loved it. The cost is more than a spot of green at $65 but I'm willing to spend that for something special. Would love to try the blue and red someday!
In mid-November 2023, one online seller offers a bottle of Red Spot for $399.99, exclusive of shipping charges.
No lies on the price. Though Jameson is a good value, it's not the same creature as a good pot still Irish whiskey. I am a wishing I had a dream of the Red Spot. So envious.
Bought the Red for $100 and Blue for $80 in the USA. Both are very nice but my favorite Irish is still the Red Breast 12 Cask Strength. The Red is very complex and the Blue a bit young and spirity.
Funny I came across this video tonight while incidentally sitting with Red Spot in my glass. Fantastic dram, but I still prefer the Yellow Spot. The Marsala just doesn’t quite mesh for me. Great video ralfy!
I will trade you a yellow for a red wherever you are ATM. Ha!
How nice i love Irish Whiskey
Thank you 😊
Hard to find in germany
I was thinking much higher based on your comments, thinking 93 at least!
Agree with others - insanely priced over here in Aus, Red Spot retails for $400 AUD (~230 pounds), simply ridiculous to charge that much.
This one is now far outside my price range (AU$500+) , my palate is no-where near discerning enough to justify the price. I will try the Green/Yellow ones though...
Just picked a red up in NJ yesterday for $150. There were only two there, should have grabbed the other one too.
tried blue spot 2 wks ago in Dublin, nice one but too strong for my taste (58.7%)
Hi Ralfy, the Blue Spot is everywhere here in Ireland at the moment. If you still want a bottle, I would be happy to assist as I would love to see you review some more Irish drams. In particular, from the new-age producers of contemporary Irish whiskey like Dingle, (revived) Dunville's, Two Stacks and Killowen :-)
If you have the opportunity to get your hands on Blue Spot for a reasonable price then make sure you pull the trigger, it's wonderful stuff.
I was expecting higher score Ralfy based on your experience and description. You are getting hard to read these days 🙂
Perhaps a white and black spot in the future? 18 and 21 years of age? If the 21 is more than Redbreast 21 I’d hesitate to spend because that RB21 is a darn good dram.
I paid 110 CAD for the yellow. Worth every penny IMO. I paid it because I can afford it. What kills us here in Canada is TAX. not sure about other locales.
@John The Red Spot was $199 out in Alberta before GST.
The best in Spot series is Yellow Spot in my opinion
Just bought a bottle of the 7 year old Blue Spot , will let you know.
Haven't seen "Red Spot" 15 here where I live in California as of yet. Will be on the lookout for it. Depending on your recommendation.😁
Here’s to warmer days on your Isle- from another isle in the Atlantic.
One of my favorite Irish Whiskey's. I have a bottle that cost me $300 at retail in California. Am loath to open it at that price!
$165 retail in California
I was at a friend today, and he has some irish Wniskies, also has the green spot, but i took a simple one, the Bushmills 10 years, i was not impressed by that one.
Hmm. Green spot listed there as 8 years and yellow spot as 12 y.o.?
I wish that was 115GBP here ;)
Haven't found Red Spot yet. Green and Yellow are here though.
actually the Irish had been using unmalted barley *before* taxation went insane
Based on your flavor profile I pray I can find a bottle or at least a sample of Red Spot.😁
I hope I can get this in Canada.
It's been sold(presently out as far as I know) in B.C., Ontario and Alberta in the past. Look out for it!
Just a pity to get such an enthusiastic review, whereas the subject is out of stock everywhere
Yellow spot widely availible and great too.
You're not consoling me in my inability to find this for sale!
Wow😳 based on your flavor profile I pray I can find a bottle or at least a sample of it.🙂
Outside my budget unfortunately.. how do you get your name in the hat for the malt shout out name?
. . . simply provide a malt-mention and you go on the List !
Have you had the Green Spot Leoville Barton version and what do you think of it? I will have to try some red spot in a pub when they properly open here in Dublin, sounds like a beaut
"You won't see any Irish Mist in the glass ... oh ... excuse me ... " (sneezes into glencairn) "... ah, there's the mist."
The English whisky Co, can you do a review?
Unfortanetely not available in Portugal.
Peaky blinders hair cut!
Ralfy the lyrical genius
I'm sure it's great but it's outside my price range (about $150 USD here in NC, USA). Will have to stick to Green Spot which I hear I can't go wrong with anyway. Perhaps down in SC (which, unlike NC, isn't a control state) they'll have it at far better prices.
Had an Had an 18yo Paddy from 1999 truly amazing drop
The style of Paddy has changed a lot in recent years. The label has been sold and it is now a cheap grog aimed at being drunk in bars. It's best left alone.
@@sav7568 it pretty much had the same reputation back then regarding its stand bottlings.
Anyone know his highest Irish whiskey mark???
North Carolina:
.75L
$149.95
It is getting up, up…
I love all the other Spots but this Red is really off putting to me, lots of old musty wood notes.
I want to like it so much but i just cant stand it, maybe its an off bottle but its one of my biggest whiskey regrets at $116 before tax...
. . . no musty woody notes in my version. Must be some batch variations going on.
Nice whiskey but far too expensive for a 15 year old
Red Spot just recently became available on the market here in the Philippines, but it is 3 times the price of Yellow Spot and more expensive than Red Breast 21yo. I will not be buying bottle for the foreseeable future
. . . I don't blame you, it's just too expensive.
Lidl have an Irish whiskey from cork that for the price is pretty impressive. Would make we want to see what the distillery is coming up with themselves as the Lidl one is shockingly good for the price. hate that sneezing thing too btw so annoying.
Is that the one in the clearly "inspired by Jameson" bottle? Had that a while back and enjoyed it but not seen the stuff in ages.
@@Bansidhe there's a single malt one from dame distillery. Few actually. Had the charred cask one, surprised me how good it is for price. The Jameson's inspired one any good??
@@chris9650 Not see that. I'm in Perth Scotland. Same for other stores I've been in around the east of Scotland. Maybe just a regional thing. Yeah the knock off Jamo was fine. More a mixer really but was as good as the name brand for the job👍
@@Bansidhe if the price is right then you can forgive a lot I think. They have a charred cask, sherry, IPA and some others I can't remember right now off the top of my head. They are made by West Cork distillery, a fairly new distillery, might be a good one to check out as prices aren't too bad at the minute.
Malt Lords In The Land Down Under
It would be helpful to add in the price you bought the bottle at.. i saw this bottle for sale in the US for $130 USD...letting us know what you would pay for it vs. The malt mark would be super helpful
he did mention how much he paid in the video....
E150a added?
Yes
Any thing on dream cask ?
. . . no, any personal cask discussion is on my Patreon channel.
@@thewhiskybothy dream cask from redbreast
Ralphy do aa blue spot
Review pleaaassseee
. . . If I can find one !
@@thewhiskybothy ralfy I'll send you a bottle my pleasure if you give me your details would love u to review
Not hard to get in northern ireland have a wean a bottles here in my stash will gladly let one go to you much knowledge you have shared in my journey of the nectar .
When you said was invisible in a review snapped up .I love it would love to here your verdict.
" I'll sneeze later "
Anybody else play guess the malt mark?
Irish whiskey tepid compared to Scotch/American whiskeys.
😁👍☕
It is easy to be impressed by a 115 pound bottle. I am more interested in a 50 or 60 pound whisky that blows your socks off ....
$130 in the US but most places are sold out. The next release will cost more.
Wanted to buy this bottle when I first saw it. Local shop wanted $250 dollars plus the almost 30% sin and local tax. Had to pass. Enjoy.
. . .your right to pass, too expensive, and the tax is greedy.
Australia?
@@TasmaniaIsAHole Washington state. US
Teasing without sneezing is just like a sex interrupted a moment before the orgasm. Most unpleasant. It is an opinion, just opinion....
Before I even watch this video, I know Ralphy is going to find this red spot wonderful. 90 points or above. I know this because it is expensive. I will come back and apologise if I'm wrong.
Edit after (partially) watching - exactly as expected, so predictable. Got about 7 minutes into the flannel and forwarded to the mark. 90. What a surprise. Time to unsubscribe and cancel the patreon now. Head stuck up the arse with NAS and anything that is perceived to be that little bit more special hits it out of the park everytime, especially if it's more expensive. Quite pathetic.
He's given expensive bottles low ratings before. Wtf are you on about.
17:53 - another great mistake in videos numbering and sequence. Shame on you, comrade Ralfy, you are so absent-minded, wake up please...
19:16 minutes of fascinating video with invaluable knowledge, and all you could notice was a little minuscule mistake. Open up your mind first before you point at anyone else.
@@gauravsoni3265 Hahaha, just the next guru without sense of humour. Pathetic. And now seriously - i am hired personally by Ralfy to monitor the videos for such mistakes. You may ask him if you don't believe me or i can send you a copy of our contract via email. It is not a secret.