Jameson is the world’s bestselling Irish whiskey brand, renowned for its triple-distilled smooth blend. The Jameson range includes the original blend, double-charred and beer-seasoned cask expressions, alongside flavoured whiskies, and even canned cocktails. The brand’s popularity is evidenced by sales of 31 million bottles annually, earning Jameson the award of the World Whisky Brand Champion 2022.
If you’ve ever been curious about this monumentally popular Irish whiskey, this complete guide explores the brand’s history, production, tasting notes, and best serving suggestions, providing answers to all your key Jameson questions.
Is Jameson An Irish Whiskey?
Jameson is a triple-distilled blended Irish whiskey, combining pot still and grain whiskies, made from malted and un-malted barley. By law a spirit must spend a minimum of three years maturing on the island of Ireland, to be legally categorized as Irish whiskey.
What Is The History Behind Jameson?
Jameson whiskey was originally produced at the Dublin-based Bow Street distillery founded in 1780, before production moved to the Midleton Distillery in County Cork in July 1975. John Jameson, the brand’s namesake, was first employed as the distillery’s general manager before he acquired ownership in 1805. In 1810, the distillery was officially renamed as ‘The John Jameson and Son Irish Whiskey Company’ although the brand was quickly nicknamed as Jameson whiskey.
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In 1966, Jameson’s merged with John Power & Son and the Cork Distilleries Company to form the Irish Distillers Group, when the emergence and growth of the Irish whiskey category required a larger production capacity. From July 1975, production shifted to the Irish Distillers Group’s Midleton Distillery complex in County Cork, equipped with three 75,000 liter pot stills and three column stills, producing 64 million liters annually. The Jameson brand was acquired by French beverage group Pernod Ricard, following a takeover of the Irish Distillers Group in 1988.
How Is Jameson Whiskey Made?
In 1780, John Jameson established a way of making Irish whiskey which the distillery has continued for over 200 years. Jameson Irish whiskey is crafted by blending rich pot still whiskey distilled from both malted and un-malted barley, with the finest grain whiskey. The Jameson brand uses locally sourced barley from Southern Ireland, working with over 200 farmers with barley plots ranging from 15 to 700 acres, within 50 miles of the Midleton distillery. This barley is combined with water drawn from the Dungourney River, which flows through the grounds of the Midleton distillery.
For maturation, Jameson sources ex-bourbon casks from the US and ex-sherry casks from Spain, which leaves the casks seasoned to impart notes of toasted oak, vanilla, and sweet sherry to the whiskey. Jameson Original whiskey uses predominantly ex-bourbon oak casks, although other brand expressions use specific cask types, such as the ‘Black Barrel’ expression which uses double-charred casks, whilst the Caskmates series uses craft beer-seasoned barrels for maturation. The Jameson Original is aged for at least 4 years, although the maturation length varies for different cask types and expressions – with approximately 2% of the whiskey lost to ‘Angel’s Share’ evaporation every year.
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Is The Whiskey Triple-Distilled?
Jameson whiskey is distilled in copper pot stills three times which gives the whiskey the brand’s signature smoothness. Each time, Jameson whiskey is distilled it becomes stronger in character, adding sweeter fruity, flavors, and a smoother taste than other types of whiskey.
What Are The Different Types Of Jameson Whiskey?
Alongside the Jameson Original bottling, inspired by John Jameson’s 1780 whiskey blend, the brand’s range of expressions has expanded across four distinct series, Barrel, Beer, Flavour, and Legends. Jameson’s Barrel Series expressions focus on different types of cask maturation including the double-charred Black Barrel, the 10-Year-Old Crested, and ‘Triple Triple’ a travel exclusive matured in a combination of bourbon, sherry, and Málaga wine casks. In October 2024, Jameson announced the upcoming launch of ‘Triple Triple Chestnut Edition’, using chestnut casks for maturation.
For beer lovers, Jameson’s Caskmates’ series editions use Stout or IPA casks from Irish craft breweries for maturation. A flavored series of bottlings includes Jameson Orange flavored whiskey, the Irish coffee-inspired ‘Cold Brew’, and the ready-to-drink Jameson, Ginger & Lime cocktail. The Jameson Legend series includes the ‘Single Pot Still’ edition, matured in five different types of oak cask, the brand’s 18 Year Old expression, and the ‘Bow Street 18 Year Old’ cask strength edition launched in 2018.
What Does Jameson Whiskey Taste Like?
Jameson whiskey is renowned for its distinctive smoothness and sweet, fruity flavors. Official tasting notes for Jameson Original whiskey can be found below:
Nose: A light floral fragrance, peppered with spicy wood and sweet notes.
Palate: The perfect balance of spicy, nutty, and vanilla notes with hints of sweet sherry and exceptional smoothness.
Finish: Smooth, lingering finish.
Serving Suggestions
Jameson is a versatile whiskey, with a distinctive smoothness and sweet, fruity flavor profile, making it ideal to be enjoyed neat, with a splash of water, over ice, with a mixer, or in a cocktail. The brand’s website states there is no wrong way to drink Jameson whiskey, and includes a guide to the best mixers, and a library of cocktail recipes that can be created with each whiskey expression.
What Cocktails Can You Make With The Whiskey?
Jameson’s recipe library features an Irish twist on classic cocktails including the Whisky Sour, Old Fashioned, and Tom Collins, alongside the quintessential Irish Coffee. The brand’s ‘signature serve’, Jameson, Ginger & Lime is a cocktail for all occasions, and the recipe can be found below:
Ingredients:
- 1 oz Jameson Original
- 3 oz Ginger Ale
- 1 Lime wedge
Method:
- Fill a high ball glass with ice and pour in a measure of Jameson. Top up the glass with a good quality ginger ale and stir briefly to mix.
- Take a large wedge of lime, give it a squeeze, and drop it into the glass.
- Roughly 1 part Jameson to 3 parts ginger ale, all parts refreshing.
What Is The Price Range For The Whiskies?
On Wine-Searcher, the average price range for Jameson whiskey products starts at $7 for premixed canned drinks up to $2473 for the Jameson 2007 Rarest Vintage Reserve edition, critically acclaimed as one of the best Irish whiskies ever released. The brand’s popular expressions including Jameson Original, Crested, and Caskmates editions currently have an average price range of $31-$33 for a 750ml bottle in the United States on Wine-Searcher. Jameson’s Black Barrel, matured in double charred barrels, currently has an average price of $42 on Wine-Searcher.
Can You Visit The Jameson Distillery In Ireland?
If you’re a Jameson fan you’ll be pleased to know you can visit both the operating Midleton Distillery which houses the brand’s visitors center, the Jameson Experience, and the Old Jameson Distillery at Bow Street which reopened as a museum in 1997.
At the Midleton Distillery visitors can enjoy fully guided tours, whiskey tasting experiences, and cocktail-making classes. The Old Jameson Distillery was named ‘World’s Leading Distillery Tour’ at the 25th World Travel Awards in 2018, and offers a variety of whiskey tasting and blending experiences. For full information about booking the different visitor experiences available at both distillery sites, please visit the Jameson website.
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