The Gold Spot 13 Year Old is the newest addition to the Spot colour range. Matured in bourbon and sherry casks and finished in Valpolicella Riciotto casks for 16 months. In general there are far too many red wine finishes lately, in my opinion, but I guess there must be a market for them?
Now for Mitchell & Sons it does make sense since they have a long tradition as wine merchants as well. In fact it is called Generations Edition because it celebrates different generations of collaborations between the Mitchell family and certain wine estates.
Gold Spot 13 yo ‘Generations Edition’ (46%, OB 2024)
Nose: sweet red apples, oranges and hints of apricots, mixed with quite a big load of baking spice. Nutmeg, pepper and cinnamon. Caramelized fruits, followed by shortbread and slightly fragrant / floral notes. Hints of marzipan and latte too. The wine fits in nicely, well done.
Mouth: fairly creamy and syrupy, with a nice mix of sweet fruits (think banana, peach and mango) with toffee sweetness and sweet herbs. Fruit cake, raisins, stewed apples and orange peels. Still a bit of pot still spice underneath, but less than the nose suggested. Just delicate tannins from the wine, but otherwise a very balanced composition.
Finish: medium length. Spices and the wine gain track again, along with this creamy fruity layer and some caramel.
I think the previous Gold Spot 9 Years was pretty much on the same level, but overall a really nice effort, even at the lower ABV. It blends the pot still spice nicely with fruitiness and a well-dosed wine influence. Available from different retailers like The Whisky Exchange or Master of Malt.