Jameson Irish Whiskey

[Gillman]

Revisiting the regular (blended) Jameson and this is one fine whiskey.

There is no question it has been improved in recent years. I found 5-10 years ago it was too light; not anymore.

It has a rich, sweetish ("mealy") taste with a soft echoing finish. There are hints of sherry and smoke (from bourbon barrel?) and all melding to a harmonious result.

I have a bottle of Green Spot (pure pot still) and the Jameson reminded me strongly of the Green Spot. (One is $25 here, the other $85). They both have that intense, pure pot still taste which is perfumed, a little waxy. But the Jameson's balance is much better, it has a sweetish complex richness the other one doesn't. I wonder if some single malt is added to achieve this.

However it is done, this is a fine, traditional whiskey and a great value.

Gary

[Vange]

I own Jameson 18 and it's a great great whiskey!

[Frodo]

I'd take the Jameson NAS version over any of the other "bar brand" whiskies at most bars I've gone to. Beats anything like Grants, Bells, JW Red or Beam White in my view although I do find the JBW drinkable...

[nickynick]

I think I might have pick up a bottle of Jameson soon. I have heard many say that is going through good form right now. In Jim Murray's Whisky Bible 2007 he gave it a 95! I too remember a lighter Jameson, but it has been a long time since I have had one. Think it is time to revisit an old favorite.

[DrinkyBanjo]

If you like Jameson's the 12 YO is much better. Not too much more either, around here Jameson NAS is about $22 and the 12 YO is about $32. However, I prefer Powers NAS to Jameson NAS.

[Gillman]

Jm Murray's rating is justified. As for the 12, it is very good, but it has a stronger tang of pure pot still and of course more wood age. This pleases some but not all since it is a stronger, quite assertive taste. The balance currently obtained in the regular blend is, I find, extremely good, Murray knows his stuff.

Gary

[DrinkyBanjo]

I usually agree with Murray's ratings, lucky me as it makes shopping easier! However, the Jamesons NAS review is one I disagree with.

[cowdery]

I find the standard Jamesons to be exactly what it should be. That is pretty much my benchmark for Irish whiskey. I have a bottle of Tullamore Dew Heritage in the cupboard right now and while it's lovely, I find it a little too prettified.

I've also got an unopened bottle of Kilbeggen around here somewhere.

[Gillman]

Kilbeggen is pretty good, it has a signature fruity taste (juicy fruit gums) I like. But the grain whisky component is more evident than in Jameson.

Gary

[Vange]

The Bushmills 16 and 21 are excellent as well. Bush 21 is one of my favorite IW of the entire lot. I like them more than the Jameson line. Also, relatively new to the scene is Michael Collins single malt IW. If you close your eues, you may think you are drinking scotch! For the true taste of IW, Redbreast is tough to beat for price and for a pure IW. Just my 2 cents.

[brockagh]

I think regular Jameson is fine, and has improved in recent years. I think Murray's rating is a bit off, and I think it gets that score because Jim think he had something to do with a tweak in the recipe.

Funnily enough, Irish Distillers don't have a huge amount of stock, so the whiskey that goes into the regular Jameson has gone from 6 to 8 years of age, to 5 to 7 years. I think they've slightly increased the amount of pot still in it.

I thought I didn't like the Jameson 18 a huge amount, but I tasted it in a lineup recently and thought it was superb.

Gillman - $85 is a lot to pay for Green Spot. It sells over here for the same price as a Jameson 12.

If you like the Jameson range, they're releasing a "Jameson Vintage". It will be around the same price as the Midleton VR, maybe $20 or $30 cheaper. They are also changing the bottling of the Jameson Gold and selling it on a more general release (it was previously made for the Duty Free market).

[heatmiser]

I recently did a tasting of the Jamesons line up (Standard, 12 & 18) one night and the next evening tried the Bushmills line up (Standard, 10 & 16). My favorite of all the expressions were the standard bottlings of both but Bushmills finished first. I don't know what I was tasting in the Bushmills 10 & 16 but it did not taste good. They both tasted pungent and bitter and smelled like stinky socks. The Jamesons 12 wasn't that much better. The Jamesons 18 was the best of the older bunch but still IMO the standard bottlings of both Bushmills and Jamesons were better.

Anyone know what that musty taste and smell are caused from?

[Gillman]

Bushmills malts and pure pot stills do share some characteristics despite that the former do not use raw barley, it may be something to do with Irish barley (but do these distillers use only Irish barley?), or current storage techniques combined with effects of the Irish climate, or all these things.

I too found the Jameson standard blend the best of the group you mentioned, and an outstanding whiskey. But this taste of pungency seems a long-standing characteristic of some Irish whiskies, Jim Murray refers to the taste a number of times in his pocket guide. He generally likes the effect although he does not give plaudits to all the older Bushmill expressions, for example.

Gary

[Hedmans Brorsa]

Thanks for these inspiring notes, Gary.

It´s been awhile since I last tried the standard Jameson. I simply have to get myself a bottle, now.

For those who are lucky to find it: try the Jameson 15yo Millenium. It is no longer being made but can be seen here and there (although it is disappearing quickly). I prefer it to the Redbreast 15yo, which, essentialy should be the same kind of whiskey, only with higher proof.

[ILLfarmboy]

I don't keep any of the standard Jameson at home but once in a blue moon I have a pour when I'm out and about. Usually on the rocks as a pre-dinner quaff when I don't want anything challenging. Its been a year or so since I've had any. I always got a very pleasant light "granny smith apple" taste from the standard Jameson. Well, Valentine's day is coming up and I plan on taking the wife out to super.:cool:

[Gillman]

Thanks, I agree by the way, Jameson 15 had a very good taste, pure pot still I think it was but with refinement, almost as if blended with some single malt. It had too a cakey-like taste, just very good, and no musty or other off notes. Maybe it was a blend, in fact (incorporating some grain whiskey), anyway it was excellent.

But the current Jameson regular blend is very good too. It has a buttercup-yellow colour, a good body and a very pillowy, soft mouthfeel and long seamless finish. A few years ago it had de-emphasised the pot still element but now I find it perfect.

Green Spot may be a lot in Canada but I paid more in London!

Green Spot at its best is one of my 5 top whiskies ever tasted. However in the last few years I find the oakiness too dominant. It needs, I believe, not to be too old so its gumdrops-like character can shine through. I'd give anything to find one of the character of 5-10 years ago. Hopefully, if PPS is short in Eire, there will be a return soon to moderately aged Green Spot.

Gary

[brockagh]

Yes, I agree about the Green Spot. it is supposed to be younger and more sparkling than a Redbreast, say. It's produced for Mitchell and Son's in Dublin. The shop celebrated its 200th anniversary last year or the year before, and they had some special Green Spot made - one cask strength 12 yr old and a 40%abv 10 yr old. The 10 yr old is 250 euro, and the 12 yr old is 800 euro - outrageous prices, considering that at 12 yr old Redbreast is only about 35 euro... Anyway, they were both very good, and I would say true to the Green Spot character. Clean pot still flavour.

The Jameson 15 was a pure pot still, made more like pure pot still of old. What I mean by that is that there was a bigger cut of the distillate taken, giving it more depth and character. It was also made before the millennium in similar packaging, but essentially it was the same stuff. Better than the Redbreast 15 - less sherry character.

Bushmills is making some really good whiskey now. I had the 10 yr old without knowing what it was, and really liked it. There's also a single malt called Brogans, which is Bushmills. Really good, in my opinion.

[Gillman]

Exactly, the Jameson 15 was not over-sherried, nor is Green Spot. I heard about those special expressions but I think in any case I like Green Spot at a younger age bracket - maybe even comparable to what you said is going into Jameson standard blend now.

I like some Bushmills, in past years Black Bush especially although recent years' bottlings seem not quite as rich or subtle as they once were..

But in terms of perfect drams, Jameson 15 comes very close.

Gary

[ggilbertva]

The Bushmills 16 and 21 are excellent as well. Bush 21 is one of my favorite IW of the entire lot. I like them more than the Jameson line. Also, relatively new to the scene is Michael Collins single malt IW. If you close your eues, you may think you are drinking scotch! For the true taste of IW, Redbreast is tough to beat for price and for a pure IW. Just my 2 cents.

Good to know that the Bushmills 16 is a exellent pour. I've liked Irish Whiskey for some time but had not tried 16 year old Bushmills. I picked up a bottle on vacation for $35 so hopefully I'll get my monies worth.

[Megawatt]

Sorry to ressurect an old thread, but I'd like to throw my two cents in. Having no experience with Irish whiskey, I decided to try the regular Jameson's. I must say, I was expecting a lot more flavour out of it. I think it may be the least flavourful whiskey I have ever tasted, and this coming from someone who drinks a lot of Canadian blends. Honestly, I could almost chug this stuff.

I notice that it is triple distilled...is this not unusual for whiskey? I was under the impression that multiple distillations was more of a vodka thing, having the effect of removing most of the flavour, as it seemed to have with the Jameson's. Of course, I have only had one drink from the bottle, so perhaps I just need to adjust a bit. But already I'm wishing that I opted for a bottle of Gibson's or something with just a little more going on.

[Jono]

Jameson Gold is a tasty "dessert" whiskey.

[Gillman]

Triple distillation is quite common in parts of the whisky world, e.g., Scots Lowlands whiskies are (or were in most cases) triple-distilled.

I don't think distillation alone would explain it since pure pot stills like Green Spot and Redbreast are distilled three times too and they have a lot of taste.

I find with Jameson's, despite being a standard blend, that it does vary from bottling to bottling. Maybe you got a fairly bland one, but I'd try again, from a different stock. I bought a small bottle recently (those "flats" they sell near the cash) and thought it had a lot of taste, a clover and hay-like flavor with mint in it and good wood.

A couple of years ago though, I had a bottle that seemed much more neutral.

Gary

[Hedmans Brorsa]

I bought a small bottle recently (those "flats" they sell near the cash) and thought it had a lot of taste, a clover and hay-like flavor with mint in it and good wood.

A couple of years ago though, I had a bottle that seemed much more neutral.

Gary

Earlier this year, March perhaps, I bought a 350 ml bottle and was pleasantly surprised. I, too, regarded it as unexpectedly flavourful, perhaps a little too much Sherry for my taste but still great for its price and status.

I can´t lay claims to being an expert of the standard bottling but the last time before that I had a sip was at a local film festival in (I think) 2004, which was sponsored by Jameson. I remember having two shots in between movie sittings and I found it pretty non-descript back then.

[ThomasH]

If it is available in your area, try a bottle of Jameson's 12. While the standard Jemesons is decent whiskey, the 12yr. version takes it to a whole new level. It is easily worth the 10.00-12.00 extra per bottle IMHO!

Thomas

[whiskydude]

Some friends and I went to the Party Source a month or two ago looking for some SMS. We ended up with 2SMS and a bottle of 12 yr Jamesons. The 12yr Jamesons is the bottle which is nearly empty. The others not quite. We had the standard Jameson offering earlier this year, and while enjoyable, it was not something with much to "taste" if you will. To echo the previous posts, the 12yr version is to our tasting, much better and worth the extra 10 or 12 dollars.