Whisky Review – Jameson Caskmates (Stout finish). @jameson_uk

Jameson Caskmates (Stout finish)

40% ABV

£25.95 from The Whisky Exchange

Nose. 

Grain and creamy richness on first sniff. Copper pennies. Devon vanilla custard. Treacle toffee thick sweetness. A light liquorice. A touch of melted dark chocolate. There’s faint background whiffs of freshly ground coffee beans. The dram as a whole smells that little bit darker, more complex than the original. A little bit of time in the glass and the darker chocolate malt and coffee notes become more apparent. 

Palate. 

A very sweet, brown sugar, Creme brûlée rich arrival, some ginger comes through in the development, lots of chocolate, malted cereal and coffee from the nose, some burnt caramel, and more in depth dark creaminess in the development taking the form of rich fudge. There’s quite an oily mouthfeel throughout. Very nice. 

Finish. 

Short to medium in duration there is a slight letdown in that there is a metallic bitterness, but this goes side by side with some lovely creamy toffee. It’s goes down very smoothly and is easy to sip regardless. 

Adding water. 

Tiny drop added. The nose is becoming creamier and fudge focused, the chocolate gets heavier, it’s actually making me hunger for a finger of fudge. The palate reflects the creamier edges found on the nose and is delightfully sweet and moreish. The finish has lost the bitterness from the undiluted. It’s actually rather bloody lovely. Ok, this one wins with water. 

Conclusion. 

Great value for money, it’s only a few quid more than the classic, and the quality is far superior. With a touch of water this whiskey really shines though, it’s a lovely, easy drinking, creamy, gorgeous thing. 

Final thoughts. (Original vs Crested vs Caskmates)

This is the last of the trilogy for Jameson for now. I’m sure there will be more to come in the near future with the relaunch of their core range, there’s a lot of interesting stuff coming out. Out of the three I’ve reviewed I prefer the Caskmates overall. It’s got some really good value for money, and one I will be buying again. 

I bought this. 

Whisky Review – Jameson Crested. @jameson_uk

Jameson Crested

40% ABV

£26.88 from Master of Malt

Nose. 

On the first sniff this comes across quite young and spirited. Reminds me a lot of single grain whisky. But with some time to settle we get more creaminess. A touch of foam banana sweeties. Lots of sweet grain. Light runny honey. Some sweet ginger and a touch of clove. Lemon juice and peel with a little oak dustiness. It’s a light, very pleasant summery sniffer. 

Palate. 

Sweet, chewy arrival, with some spicy bite. Lots of honey, pepper, ginger. A touch of sweet citrus and some sugar rich fruit bonbon sweets. There’s a little oiliness to the mouthfeel which makes things stretch a long way on the palate, a touch of dry spices at the back of the mouth, all together quite tasty and easy sipping.

Finish. 

Spicy ginger and light honey hangs around for a short-medium duration. The mouth drying spices being the last to fade. 

Adding water. 

Added the smallest drop. The nose becomes slightly more spirity and looses some of the complexity, having a more of a powdered sugar dominance now. The palate looses a lot of intensity and becomes quite watery, the development still goes places, but the oils that once were are lost. The finish is a little sweeter, more corn and less oomph. Don’t water this one, it looses more than it gains. 

Conclusion. 

This is a good session whiskey. It won’t blow your world away, but as a starter dram for a tasting it’s a great palate awakener, and that’s what I would use this whiskey for and will continue to do so until the bottle runs dry. This dram has added complexity and smoothness over the regular Jameson release. 

I bought this. 

Whisky Review – Jameson. @jameson_uk

Jameson 

40% ABV

£20.72 from Master of Malt

Nose. 

Lots of fruit and a little spice. A touch of metallic copper. Lots of dried apricot, some bitter orange skin. Light vanilla essence. Light pepper. Some creamy cereal. The youth comes across in that citrus bitterness on the nose. Nose feel has a slight prickle to the sinus. 

Palate. 

The arrival is sweet and slowly building. Lots of fruit, fresh apricot, dried stoned fruits, some cherry, peach and nectarine, light cinnamon spices. It’s very bright, summery and easy to sip. Later in the development though there is a little bitterness and harshness from the youth, but it’s doesn’t detract a great deal to the overall experience. 

Finish. 

Short, nectarine flesh and a touch of sweet pepper dust fades quite quickly. Pleasant, nothing bowled over or blown away. 

Adding water. 

Think it will kill it but try anyway! The nose seems a little spicier and more metallic now. The palate is less intensive on the arrival, and the fruits are a little bit toned down but there is a little bit of extra creamy custard chewiness. The finish is weak. Probably not one to have with water in all fairness. 

Conclusion. 

This is a nice entry level Irish whiskey, it’s perfectly good at its intentions and that’s more for long drinks and cocktails. It’s not a massive sipping whisky for me, but saying that it’s an easier sipper for the summer than some heavily sherried drams would be. I think the Jameson Crested (reviewed here) is a lot smoother and more of a sipper for summer for very little extra in the cost department. 

I bought this.