Origin: Cork (Ireland)
Type: Blended Irish Whiskey
Strength: 40%ABV
Ageing casks: Ex-Bourbon first fill
Chillfiltered: Yes
Added coloring: Yes
Owner: Pernod Ricard
Average price: € 40.00
Official website: www.jamesonwhiskey.com
Vote: 85/100
After a long absence from these pages, we start to replenish the section dedicated to Irish whiskies of the famous label produced by Midleton.
Let’s start with this blended (like almost all Jameson’s bottlings) composed of single pot and grain, with the particularity of having been finished in ex-Bourbon casks that were charred before being filled.
Billed as a small batch (which is a bit of a laugh when it comes to large-scale production), it was launched in 2011, and on its tenth anniversary a 50% proof version was released.
Tasting notes
Caramel, cereal and herbaceous notes blend on the nose in a fairly soft and pleasant composition, with fruity notes (green apple, coconut, banana), a slight metallic vein and, at length, coffee caramel. Citric inflections in the background.
The palate is creamier than you’d expect, with a hint of pepper and spice (cinnamon, nutmeg) on the fruity side which becomes more decisive, between tropical and citrus influences, with malt biscuit, roasted cereal, coffee, caramel topping and yet another bitter, metallic streak to mark the drink.
Quite long finish of cereal, caramel, coffee, malted biscuit.
I admit I started off a little biased, the low alcohol content always puts me on the defensive, but I have to say it turned out to be smoother and more persistent than I expected.
Mind you, it’s nothing transcendental, but the flavours are clean and balanced, with elegant traits and a certain personality, all in a more than popular price range.