Category: Irish Whiskey

Irish Whiskey

Whisky of the Week review and tasting notes for Irish whiskey. A collection of all the interesting whiskey releases I have tried that originate in Ireland.

Jameson Caskmates Stout Edition Whiskey

By Jeannette Wentzel

On 05/08/2017

In Irish Whiskey

When friends meet up for a drink, great things tend to happen. I know! When I meet up with my friends for drinks, we solve a world full of problems in an evening. Other friends met up for a drink during a ski holiday, and Mackmyra was created. The same is true for the Jameson Caskmates Stout Edition whiskey.

In 2013, two long-time friends met for drinks at a local pub in County Cork, Ireland. The friends were Dave Quinn, Master of Whiskey Science at Jameson distillery and Shane Long, Head Brewer at local Irish micro-brewery Franciscan Well. Dave shared the Jameson proprietary oak whiskey barrels from the Midleton Distillery with Shane, who created a unique Irish stout aged in Jameson barrels.

Afterwards, the casks were returned to Midleton distillery where they were subsequently used to give a stout finish to Jameson whiskey.

Jameson is a blended Irish whiskey produced by the Irish Distillers subsidiary of Pernod Ricard. The original distillery on this site was called the Bow Street Distillery and was established in 1780 by the Steins.

John Jameson was a Scottish lawyer from Alloa in Clackmannanshire and became the first General Manager for Bow Street Distillery. In 1805, with his son, took full ownership and expanded the distillery. The distillery was officially renamed to John Jameson & Son’s Bow Street Distillery in 1810.

In 1966 Jameson merged with Cork Distillers and John Powers to form the Irish Distillers Group. With the opening of a New Midleton distillery outside Cork in 1976, both the Dublin whiskey distilleries of Jameson in Bow Street and John’s Lane closed down.<

The old Jameson distillery in Bow Street near Smithfield in Dublin now serves as a museum that offers tours and tastings.

Also Read: Teeling Single Grain Whiskey

Jameson CaskMates Stout Edition Whiskey Review

Jameson Caskmates Stout Edition is the standard triple-distilled Jameson Original finished in stout seasoned barrels.

COUNTRY: Ireland

ABV: 43%

COLOUR: Rich dark copper colour with amber hints.

NOSE: Faints hints of coffee and dark chocolate, notes of oak, fruity sweetness, toffee and malt. The nose is subtle and sweet.

PALATE: Smooth and crisp. There are notes of spicy black pepper, bits of hops and oak. Water smoothes out the spicy pepper and releases more sweetness. Jameson Caskmates Stout Edition whiskey has a medium body.

FINISH: Ends in notes of sweetness balanced with dried orange.

RATING: VERY GOOD<

Not the most complex of whiskeys. I spent some time working at a distillery and was expecting a bit more of that malty, toasted barley taste with a bit more fullness on the palate. Still, it is an exciting dram due to the Stout Cask finish. Certainly a lot more exciting than the standard Jameson release. The Jameson Caskmates pairs very nicely with a meaty pizza.

What started as a discussion over a pint or 2 and some experimentation, ended up in an enjoyable dram. At a retail price of around R380 in South Africa, this is certainly affordable. Even more delicious than the Caskmates release is the Jameson Select Reserve whiskey. I wrote about my experience tasting it and it is probablay my favourite Jameson’s to date.

Also Read: Tullamore DEW vs Jameson Irish Whiskey Comparison

Bushmills 16 year old Whiskey

By Jeannette Wentzel

On 02/20/2017

In Irish Whiskey

The Bushmills 16 year old single malt Irish whiskey is probably one of the dustiest bottles in my collection. I have had this bottle for more than eight years, and although we have tried it a few times, I have never written about it.

With all the new whisky arrivals, it got moved right to the back of my whisky cupboard. In December, while sorting and organizing, I stumbled across it again. So it made it to my tasting list early in 2017.

Bushmills is a distillery in Bushmills, County Antrim, Northern Ireland. The Bushmills Old Distillery Company itself established in 1784 by Hugh Anderson. However, there is limited information available on any whiskey distilled during that early time.

After various periods of closure in its subsequent history, the distillery has been in continuous operation since it was rebuilt after a fire in 1885. In 1890, a steamship named SS Bushmills, travelled across the Atlantic to deliver Bushmills whiskey to America.

Also Read: Jameson Select Reserve whiskey

In the early 20th century, America was a significant market for Bushmills. Then came the American Prohibition in 1920. It harmed Bushmills and the Irish whiskey industry. But Bushmills managed to survive and when Prohibition ended, had ample stores of whiskey ready to export.

The Bushmills Distillery changed hands a few times, and in 2005, it became part of the Diageo stable. In November 2014, Diageo announced that the Bushmills brand was being traded with Jose Cuervo in exchange for the 50% of the Don Julio brand of tequila that Diageo did not already own.

Bushmills 16 year old Irish Whiskey Review

The core range of single malts consists of a 10 year old, the 16 year old and a 21 year old finished in Madeira casks for two years. Bushmills single malt whiskey 16 year old is aged in a combination of Oloroso Sherry and Bourbon-seasoned casks, then matured for several months in port pipes.

ABV: 43%

COLOUR: Dark Copper mahogany

NOSE: Sherry sweetness, vanilla and roasted apples, stewed fruit. Rich and creamy with hints of honey and cinnamon.

PALATE: Smooth with notes of Christmas spices and summer fruit, oak, vanilla, honey and citrus. The Bushmills 16 year old single malt is not very complex, and although it is smooth, it is not as easy-drinking as I expected. Water brings out a bit more vanilla sweetness and tones down the citrus but also flattens the dram.

FINISH: Arid woody finish with notes citrus, pepper and oak. Hints of wet leather.

RATING: VERY GOOD

It is as if you have three beautiful puzzle pieces in your hand, but they are from 3 different puzzles. The pieces don’t fit together quite so well. They are all a bit disjointed. I was expecting a bit more from the Bushmills 16 year old whiskey. I need to explore from this Irish distillery to see if I can find something nicer. What release should I try?

Also Read:Dunville’s Three Crowns Sherry Finish Whiskey

The Wild Geese Irish Whiskey

By Jeannette Wentzel

On 03/16/2014

In Irish Whiskey

What a name for a whiskey, The Wild Geese Irish single malt whiskey. There must be a story behind this. I went to investigate. The name Wild Geese in the Irish context has a long history.

The Catholic King James and the Protestant King William of Orange fought the Battle of the Boyne in 1690 across the River Boyne near Drogheda on the east coast of Ireland.

William won the battle, and Patrick Sarsfield’s army was defeated. Following the Treaty of Limerick, William gave Sarsfield’s army a choice. Those that chose to live under English rule filed one way; others like Sarsfield and his followers turned the other way to board French ships to take them to France.

They took the name The Wild Geese in the hope and belief that this would be a temporary exile in Europe. The parting, however, proved permanent. Stripped of their authority and property, many of them found life in Ireland intolerable.

These soldiers served in various continental European armies in the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries. However, they never forgot their homeland and dreamt of one day returning to Ireland.

I choose the Irish Wild Geese Irish single malt whiskey especially for today as it is nearly Saint Patrick’s Day – the Patron Saint of Ireland. And with the history of this whiskey, a fitting choice for Whisky of the Week. I received this bottle as a gift from a friend visiting us from Bangalore, India.

Also Read: Dunville’s Three Crowns Sherry Whiskey

The Wild Geese Irish Whiskey Review

The sturdy square bottle, it is packaged in a bright orange box. It certainly stands out among other whiskies boxed in neutral colours.

COUNTRY: Ireland

ABV: 43%

COLOUR: Light gold.

NOSE: Layers of oak and wood. Also a bit of fresh fruit and spice.

PALATE: Toasted oak, spice, pepper and some floral notes. A bit of a mossy green note. It is not a sweet whiskey. It is full-bodied and smooth, easy-going whiskey. The spice is well-balanced with a hint of vanilla. There is a bit of citrus and more oak. It is a complex whiskey.

FINISH: The Wild Geese Irish whiskey has a long smooth finish that becomes sweeter with some floral notes and butter toffee.

RATING: EXCELLENT.

This whiskey has won many prizes, and I can understand why. It is nicely balanced, and I had a second glass. Interesting to note that you need to add water carefully to this Irish release. Adding water does not enhance or release extra flavours.

The whiskey tasted watered down when I added my usual splash of water. Only when I limited the water in the second glass, did the green and oaky notes came to the front.

As this is a spicy whiskey, there will be quite a few really good food pairings that will match nicely with this Irish release. A gold creamy Irish cheddar should make an excellent pairing. Also, on a winter’s day, a sweet potato gratin with caramelized onions should match the spicy nature and warm up a cold day.

I paired the Wild Geese with some Irish Dubliner cheese, and it made for a great pairing. The whiskey enhanced the cheese’s buttery nature, making it creamier and smoothed out the pepper notes. The Dubliner cheese enhanced the smooth and rich whiskey and lengthened an already amazing finish.

Also Read: Waterford Cooladine Whisky