Review #26 - Jameson Irish Whiskey

NAS World Whisky Mini-Series: Part 4 of 4

To wrap up our world tour, we're stopping off in Ireland for a visit with Jameson Irish Whiskey. Distilleries in this country like to triple distill their whiskies, sometimes leading to a cleaner, crisper, more refined style; these are some of the characteristics that have led to this bottle being one of the most recognizable, popular brands in the category of Irish whiskey around the world.

Jameson Irish Whiskey

Ireland - Blend

Current Locally Available Price: USD 23 (2023)

Age Statement: NAS

Strength: 40% ABV

Tasting Methodology: Reviewed 2 times over 5 months; bottles at 90% and 30% fill levels at times of review. Tasted in a Glencairn glass each time, rested 10-15 minutes

Nose: Rich golden apple, soft and nice overall, a bit light. There is decent sweetness here; we find it in the form of honey, crisp vanilla bean, green apples now, vanilla ice cream, and a bit of icing sugar. There is just a hint of a pleasant wood influence, but it isn't harsh or tannic at all. Then we're into the baking theme: warm bread rolls, nutmeg and cinnamon... still, somewhat clean overall.

Palate: Soft and cool, and the mouthfeel here is on the thinner side, it can come across a bit watery at times. Again, plenty of light, thin honey, some vanilla, and tons of apple, but it's slightly less sweet now - more balanced. After that, there is some butterscotch, and it's more bready.

Finish: Finish is medium-short, somewhat clean and nice; pretty easy. There is just a bit of warmth to go along with some light oak, but no real astringency here. Still sweetness from honey and mild apple, and then more oak vanillin comes into play at the end.

Final Note: One of the best all-purpose whisky mixers here. It isn't going to impress many with its flavors or strength, but it does blend well into many types of cocktail, as well as with soda or ice. Generally, we aren't drinking this neat, but it's a decent value pick, so we sometimes keep it around for cocktails with friends and family.

Our Average Rating: 5.3 / 10

In the current whisky landscape of increasing prices and variable quality, we've added a value rating to our reviews that relates to the score and the available pricing of each whisky. This roughly equates to a 0-10 scale; no reviews so far have exceeded a score of 10, although it is technically possible for the formula to produce a value rating higher than 10 with a high enough score and low enough price.

Value Rating: 7.24