Spot Whiskeys Showcase | Belfast Whiskey Week 2021

Name: Belfast Whiskey Week 2026
Start: 2026-07-24
End: 2026-08-01
Location: Belfast

Filed: 28 Jul 2021
By: Belfast Whiskey Week
Read: 4 min
Format: Online Tasting
Ref: BWW/21/236

There are few names in Irish whiskey that carry the weight of genuine merchant heritage quite like the Spot family — and on the afternoon of 28th July 2021, Belfast Whiskey Week gave them the stage they deserved. Session 33: Spots Series was a showcase tasting that brought together all four expressions from Mitchell & Son's celebrated range, offering attendees an unhurried, immersive journey through one of the uisce beatha tradition's most storied lineages. Six generous 50ml samples and a world of history: that was the promise, and it was well kept.

About This Event

This tasting includes 6 x 50ml Samples and will take place on the 28th @ 14:00.

For those in the USA, Australia, Sweden, Europe, the Republic of Ireland or Northern Ireland, you will be able to save on delivery costs by having your package to sent to a localised depot for collection. You will be charged a small fee upon collection, but the cost will be much cheaper than having packs delivered to individual addresses. If you would like to avail of this option, please make a note in the Special Instructions box, and we will contact you at a later date to arrange this and refund your delivery charges.

Looking Back

The Spot Whiskeys range is, at its heart, a story about place and continuity — about a Dublin merchant family, Mitchell & Son, whose bond warehouses once held casks daubed in coloured spots to mark their maturation stages, a practice so practical it became poetry. Green Spot, the elder statesman of the family, carries that duchas — that sense of inherited belonging — in every sip: lively orchard fruit, a thread of green grass, and a gentle spice that speaks of pot still character at its most honest. Tasting it alongside the rest of the family made that heritage feel all the more tangible.

Yellow Spot, aged twelve years and finished in Malaga wine casks, brought a richer, more voluptuous character to proceedings — honeyed and tropical, with a complexity that rewarded those who slowed down and paid attention. Red Spot followed, the newest member of the family at the time, its fifteen-year age statement and a finish in Marsala casks lending a deep, almost wintry warmth: dried fruits, dark chocolate, and a spice that lingered long into the afternoon. And then there was Blue Spot — limited, revived after decades of absence, and carrying the kind of anticipation around it that only genuine rarity can produce. It did not disappoint: a young but assured whiskey with a raw, vibrant energy that felt like seanchas made liquid, old knowledge offered anew.

What made this session land so well was the format itself. Six samples across four expressions — some poured more than once — gave participants the breathing room to revisit, compare, and let the whiskeys settle on the palate without the pressure of moving on too quickly. For those joining from further afield, Belfast Whiskey Week's localised depot collection option meant that even attendees in the USA, Australia, Sweden, and across Europe could take part without the cost of individual delivery making the decision for them. It was a practical kindness that reflected something genuinely important about how the festival thinks about its community. Session 33 details can still be found on the event page, a reminder of what £45 could buy you on a Wednesday afternoon in July 2021.

The Spot Whiskeys range had a significant presence throughout BWW 2021, appearing across premium tasting boxes, cocktail masterclasses, and wine pairing sessions — a reflection of how naturally the range lends itself to exploration from multiple angles. Those who found themselves drawn to the broader world of Irish distilling during the festival would also have done well to explore Session 22's Sexton Deconstruction Showcase, which offered a similarly thoughtful look at another expression of the island's pot still tradition, or to take in some of the outstanding Bushmills History MasterClass content that traced a very different but equally deep lineage from the north coast. The full Spot Whiskeys collection offers a good starting point for anyone looking to revisit or discover the range for themselves.

Looking back, Session 33 stands as one of those BWW moments where the format, the brand, and the occasion aligned quietly and completely. No noise, no gimmickry — just four exceptional whiskeys, a little history, and an afternoon well spent. Sláinte mhaith.