Green Spot Chateau Léoville Barton
Wine Merchants and whiskey bonders Mitchell & Son have a long history in the spirits industry. Primarily known in the whiskey world for introducing the Spot line in 1920. Produced by Irish Distillers at Midleton Distillery, it is one of the few remaining single pot still bonded Irish whiskies. After most of the Spot line fell out of production for many years, the entire line has seen a reintroduction over the past decade. Included in this resurgence has seen finishes with specific wineries for multiple Spots, either for limited release or a broader market offering. The Green Spot Chateau Léoville Barton was aged for 5-7 years and then finished in ex-Burgundy barriques for approximately 18 months. The vineyards are located near Saint-Julien, on the left bank of Garonne estuary in southwestern France.
Ardbeg Scorch
Ardbeg is a distillery that loves its marketing. This is not a slight against the distillery, just a fact of the marketplace. But Ardbeg likes to have fun with their one-off yearly committee releases. No two are alike and they are not afraid to embrace a story. Even if it involves flavor dragons and terrible puns. The Ardbeg Scorch is their 2021 committee release and the box is bedecked with artful flavor dragons breathing, presumably, flavor fire. The Scorch in the name derives from the heavy char Ardbeg gave to the barrels this scotch matured in for an undisclosed period of time. Whether you embrace the fanciful story or not, however, the flavor abides.
Glenmorangie A Tale of Winter
Being a distillery with nearly 200 years of history does not guarantee success in the present day. Creativity can be almost as vital as what is in the bottle. In 2020, Glenmorangie began a limited series of no-age-statement releases beginning with A Tale of Cake. Each ‘tale’ has a creative story from Dr. Bill Lumsden, Director of Distilling for Glenmorangie and Ardbeg, and is meant to invoke a certain moment or feeling or place. These whiskies seem geared toward a different demographic than their core offerings, what with the emphasis on story and bright package design. The Glenmorangie A Tale of Winter is the second in the series and is meant to evoke the coziness of being inside somewhere on a cold winter day (or night). Though no age statement comes on the bottle, the scotch was 13 years old and finished in ex-Marsala wine casks for an undisclosed time.