Jameson probably needs no introduction. It's easily the best selling Irish whiskey and one of the most recognizable and available liquor brands in the world. They also have some great ads, including one where John Jameson refuses to lose a single barrel of his namesake spirit.
Like several other brands, Jameson is produced by Irish Distillers (part of Pernod Ricard) at their New Midleton distillery in Midleton, County Cork, Ireland. These include Redbreast and Powers. The Spot whiskies, like Yellow Spot, are made there as well, though they're sold by a third party. As is typical with Irish whiskey, Jameson is distilled through copper stills three times ('triple-distilled') for an extra smooth result.
John Jameson, who had immigrated from Scotland, founded a distillery in Dublin and began distilling whiskey back in 1780. He did well, and quickly, surpassing a million gallons annually early in the 19th century and becoming internationally known. Eventually the business was turned over to his son, then his grandson. Irish whiskey in general, including Jameson of course, struggled during the early 20th century with the Irish War of Independence, where they were shut off from British Commonwealth markets, and Prohibition in the United States. Jameson also had to contend with distilling methods (from Scotland and the U.S.) most efficient than the pot stills commonly used for Irish whiskey. But they survived and later regained their extremely prominent status. In 1966 Irish Distillers formed with the merging of Jameson with John Powers and Cork Distillers. This group was then acquired by Ricard in 1988. These days, the original Jameson distillery in Dublin is no longer active, instead serving as a museum and tourist attraction and was recently renovated in 2016.
Today I'm not reviewing the standard whiskey that made Jameson famous and continues to be a best seller. Instead, we're going to take a look at one of their newish 'Caskmates' variations. Following a larger trend in the whiskey world, Jameson is now finishing (a short secondary maturation) some of their whiskey in barrels that previously held something very different. This one was finished in stout barrels after trading barrels with a brewery, who are themselves often interested in aging beer in whiskey barrels. Specifically the beer barrels used here were from 8 Degrees Brewing, also owned by Irish Distillers (interestingly, it appears originally to have been a different brewery called Franciscan Well). For the 'stats' below I'm assuming standard Jameson was then finished, so it could be slightly different.
Stats:
ABV - 40% (80 proof)
Mash - blend of whiskies distilled from unmalted barley, malted barley and corn
Maturation - ex-Bourbon and Sherry casks, before a finish in Stout barrels
Age - at least 3 years
Location - Ireland
Price - ~$30 (I paid $28)
Tasting Notes:
Smell - Fresh apples, maybe a hint of spices, not very boozy
Color - Fairly solidly amber, dark for a young Irish (ah, it's colored)
Taste - Fruit to start and tastes like Jameson, then some chocolate and stout beer
Finish - Very smooth finish as expected, nice meld of pot still and darker flavors linger
Final Thoughts:
I didn't think there was any way this could go wrong. And I was right. It still tastes like Jameson, which is always good if a little boring, but with some darker and more interesting imparted flavors. You can definitely taste the stout. It's almost like an Irish car-bomb (something you shouldn't ever order when actually in Ireland) in a whiskey alone and I say that in the best way.
If you like Irish whiskey and were curious, I'd recommend grabbing one of these or another variation from Jameson. I also enjoyed the Caskmates IPA (Irish pale ale) Edition a few years ago and the Black Barrel is fantastic as well. You can't really go wrong. More than anything I loved a 12-year bottle we snagged at the New Midleton distillery on a visit in 2015, though I haven't seen anything comparable since. Is this stuff on the same level as a quality Scotch or Bourbon? No, but it doesn't have to be and you're not paying anywhere near the cost either. Just about anyone can enjoy Irish whiskey and that's the idea. It's so easy to drink.
Cheers!
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