Spirit of the Month - March 2009 - Jameson's Irish Whiskey

[FONT=&quot]Welcome to the B&B Speakeasy Spirit of the Month![/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]Our selection for March 2009 will be Jameson's Irish Whiskey

[/FONT] [imga=right]http://www.badgerandblade.com/forum/media/16171/full[/imga]Ah, March. Things are looking up. Spring is well on its way, and we have the tipsiest of all holidays smack-dab in the middle of the month. And what better way to celebrate St. Patrick's Day than with a true Irish Whiskey?


This month we're going with another pick-your-own bottling, and this time around you've got a LOT to choose from. Jameson's offers many different bottlings, including 12yr Reserve, Pure Pot Still, Gold Reserve, 18yr Reserve, and Rarest and Signature Reserves. All of the above featuring their traditional “single distillery” component and their distinctive pot-still character.


The Jameson distillery was founded in Dublin in 1780 and by 1800 had become the world's most popular whiskey. However, Irish independence, the temperance movement and American prohibition dealt strong blows to the brand throughout the ensuing decades. In response to the economic pressure, the few remaining Irish Whiskey distillers (John Power & Son, John Jameson & Son and the Cork Distillers company) formed a conglomerate distillery in Cork dubbed the “New Midledon Distillery,” at which Jameson's is stilled to this day. Currently, Jameson's has sold over 2.5 million cases and is one of the most popular brands of whiskey in the world.


Jameson's is made only with malted and unmalted (“green&#8221 barley. The unmalted barley imparts the traditional Irish characteristics, and the “pure pot still” character, unique to Irish whiskeys, emparts a smooth richness not found in other spirits. Jameson's is triple-distilled, and seasoned in oak casks, a mix of sherry and bourbon casks depending on the specific bottling. The motto “sine metu,” Latin for “without fear.” is printed on every label. This is personally one of the tiny details I find most endearing about Jameson's.[imga=left]http://www.badgerandblade.com/forum/media/16170/full[/imga]


I've decided to pick up the 12yr, but I'm looking forward to hearing about the even higher-end offerings from members who might be inclined to spend a little bit more. Either way, the base offering sets the standard for Irish Whiskey around the world, which is why we're making it our Spirit of the Month for March! Happy St. Patrick's Day!!


Cheers!









-100% whiskey lover, 50% Irish, and 0% saint... Patrick



(Oh, and check here for a recap of all our our Spirit of the Month discussions!)

Excellent choice! Jameson's has one of the best blending noses in Billy Leighton, and now that the powers that be are finally letting him stretch his wings the whiskey is excellent!

My sister really wanted to call her first son Jameson. We finally convinced her that it was a bad idea (her husband is Irish) but I sent him a bottle of Jameson's as a christening gift, to be opened on his 18th birthday with me. Of course, my sister confounded us all by naming her second son Jameson....

So this whiskey has a very sentimental meaning for me. You are quite correct that all Irish whiskeys are made from malted and unmalted barley (unique to Irish) due, historically, to the fact that malted barley was taxed at a higher rate than unmalted barley. Jameson's is a blend of column-still grain spirit and pot-still barley whiskey. (They do make a pure pot-still whiskey, Redbreast.)

I think I will have one right now.

I have some Irish Moos, is it the same....

Back in the day, this was one of my main stays. My choice was simply drizzle it over ice and enjoy.

I've a bottle of the Rarest Vintage Reserve, just sitting here, begging me to open it...

GreatDane said:

I've a bottle of the Rarest Vintage Reserve, just sitting here, begging me to open it...

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I'm going to start persuading too if you don't listen to it...

castlecraver said:

I'm going to start persuading too if you don't listen to it...

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Well, I did, not to long after posting that... All I'm going to say is that it was well worth working the overtime that I had to to afford that bottle!

On a side note, I can't wait to graduate college and get a real job.

i've been a fan of jameson for years--usually just drink the standard stuff on the rocks

thinking of picking up a bottle of the 1780 12 year reserve as my first spirit of the month, just a quick question--is there a "preferred" way to drink irish whisky (like the scotch guys do with just a splash of cold water), or does pretty much anything go?

not that i feel the need to stick to protocol, just would like to see what others do so i can give it a try and see if it enhances the experience for me

^^^ I add a tablespoon or so of water to scotch but Irish and Canadian whisky or bourbon will I drink on the rocks.

I was introduced to Jameson for the first time when I had moved to London England. If I ordered a whisky and coke (or gingerale) at a bar they'ed give me Jack Daniels or Jim Beam. Coming from Canada, I was accustomed to drinking Canadain Club or Crown Royal rye whisky so the JD was quite a surprise to drink with Coke. I shared some Canadian whisky with a friend and he put me onto Jameson as it has very similar characteristics to rye - not peaty like most scotch and not sweet like a sour mash.

Now that I am home in Toronto, Jameson continues to be my go-to non-scotch whisky of choice replacing my longtime drink - Crown Royal (worthy of its own Spirit of the Month honour).

I also thought I'd share a few pics that I took when I visited Cork Ireland on a weekend holiday a few years back.

Jameson is just about my favorite. You have a hard time getting any of it around here except the regular stuff, but I managed to get some of the 18 once and it is just out of this world!
I'm taking a trip next week, and I know what I'll be looking to bring back!

cthip said:

i've been a fan of jameson for years--usually just drink the standard stuff on the rocks

thinking of picking up a bottle of the 1780 12 year reserve as my first spirit of the month, just a quick question--is there a "preferred" way to drink irish whisky (like the scotch guys do with just a splash of cold water), or does pretty much anything go?

not that i feel the need to stick to protocol, just would like to see what others do so i can give it a try and see if it enhances the experience for me

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In short, from a clean glass.

Dubbya said:

In short, from a clean glass.

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+1. Drink it neat.

I've still got a small issue with adding water to any liquor. Why would they bottle it any differently than it was intended to be drank, especially if the only difference was water?

And thanks for the pics Dubbbya!! The Cork distillery is one of the headwaters I've been most yearning to visit. I bet it was a great trip

If you can't drink it neat, it is not worth drinking!

castlecraver said:

+1. Drink it neat.

I've still got a small issue with adding water to any liquor. Why would they bottle it any differently than it was intended to be drank, especially if the only difference was water?

And thanks for the pics Dubbbya!! The Cork distillery is one of the headwaters I've been most yearning to visit. I bet it was a great trip

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Those pictures were actually from Not4you. I wish I could snap photos that well. In mine, the water wheel would have looked a bit like a wet racing tire or something.

Great choice. Jameson is probably the first whiskey that I learned to appreciate. I don't drink it--or anything--as much as I used to, but I always keep a bottle at hand.

I can remember being at a bar in my hometown, celebrating with my buddies before I went off to the service. The old guys who were always at the bar dragged me away from my friends as if they had some secret wisdom to pass on to me. One of them leaned into my face, peering at me, and demanded that I promise them one thing. When I asked them what it was, he replied, "Never drink the Bushmills!" They all nodded in agreement, saying "f-ing Orangemen!"

I suppose that the whole Bushmills v. Jameson is as true or as false as something that everybody seems to believe, but nobody seems to know for sure. But, a promise is a promise, and Jameson's has been good enough for me for the last twenty five-odd years.

And I agree--it demands to be served neat.

The Nid Hog said:

"I suppose that the whole Bushmills v. Jameson is as true or as false as something that everybody seems to believe, but nobody seems to know for sure. But, a promise is a promise, and Jameson's has been good enough for me for the last twenty five-odd years.

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They're both owned by Pernod Ricard now, so if there ever was any grain of truth to it, it...

I've been told by Irish people that the whole Bushmills/Jameson story is pretty much confined to this side of the Atlantic and that most non-yuppie Irishmen drink Powers anyway.

Bluestaco said:

I've been told by Irish people that the whole Bushmills/Jameson story is pretty much confined to this side of the Atlantic and that most non-yuppie Irishmen drink Powers anyway.

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I was waiting for someone else to say it... as I'm an unapologetic Powers devotee. An empty bottle of Powers around my place is like an empty tank of gas in my car... I need to do something about it quickly, or things stop running.

Pat, I've never had Powers. How does it compare to Jameson?

IMNSHO Powers owns Jameson in every way. Jameson is about my least favorite of all the Irishes.

I actually like Powers better, too, really. It seems (to me) like it's simply "less embarrassed to be whiskey" than Bushmills or Jameson. I don't know how to explain what that means. (Pat???)

TimmyBoston said:

Pat, I've never had Powers. How does it compare to Jameson?

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The spiciness comes on a bit sooner and I find the following sweetness to be rounder and more endearing. All around, its smoother, mellower, more consistently drinkable. Sometimes I find that Irish Whiskeys in general try to be more complex than they need to be, even to the degree of developing an out-of-place "smoky" flavor. Powers has next to none. Plus, its a good honest bottle (read: cheap as hell) and comes with excellent Irish "street cred"

arghblech said:

IMNSHO Powers owns Jameson in every way. Jameson is about my least favorite of all the Irishes.

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Actually, Penrod/Irish Distillers at the Middleton Distillery owns them both.

Err... perhaps you meant pwns. In that case, +1.

(Actually, I can't stand Bushmills and I'd rather not drink Tullamore. I'll take Jameson any day if Powers is unavailable. Unfortunately you can't get the pure pot still, or the really high-end stuff around here)

Bluestaco said:

I actually like Powers better, too, really. It seems (to me) like it's simply "less embarrassed to be whiskey" than Bushmills or Jameson. I don't know how to explain what that means. (Pat???)

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Yep... see above. Its hard to put my finger on, but I totally agree with you.