Green Spot Quails' Gate has seen the single pot still Irish whiskey finished for 16 months in Pinot Noir casks from the Quails' Gate Winery in Okanagan, British Columbia, following an initial maturation in American oak and ex-sherry casks.
It is the third instalment in the Green Spot Wine Geese Series, which pays tribute to a group of Irish families known as the 'Wine Geese' who left Ireland to set up wineries around the world. The previous releases in the series, Green Spot Château Leoville Barton and Green Spot Chateau Montelena, are now permanent expressions.
Located on the shore of Okanagan Lake, Quails' Gate Winery was founded in 1908 by the Steward family, who emigrated from Co Kildare, Ireland to Canada.
Green Spot Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey was originally produced exclusively for the Mitchell family, who started trading in Dublin in 1805. The Mitchells set up a whiskey bonding business in the city in 1887, sending empty wine, sherry and port casks to the local Jameson Distillery to be filled with single pot still spirit for maturation in the the family's warehouse.
Quails" Gate Pinot Noir casks were used to finish the new Green Spot Irish Whiskey
Deirdre O'Carroll, blender at Irish Distillers, said: "Green Spot, with its distinctive blend of green apple, vanilla and toffee flavours, has been a beloved Irish whiskey since the 19th century, thanks to the Mitchell family.
"Maturing Green Spot Irish Whiskey in the Pinot Noir casks from Quails’ Gate adds a fascinating and delectable assortment of rich red berries from the red wine seasoning that perfectly balances Green Spot’s orchard fruits and toasted wood finish for a flavoursome, complex expression. Whether a whiskey enthusiast or a wine connoisseur – or both – we hope this addition to the Spot family will be cherished by those in Ireland, Canada and everywhere in between."
Rowan Stewart, winemaker at Quails' Gate winery, added: "The partnership between Spot Whiskeys and Quails’ Gate celebrates the best of both worlds: the deep roots of the whiskey tradition and our family tradition of wine growing."
Green Spot Quails' Gate is bottled at 46% ABV and is non-chill filtered. It will be released from March 2023 in limited quantities in the US, Canada, Ireland, France, UK.