Mark Adams
Jameson Caskmates sees the reuse of old whiskey barrels. Nothing new in that, but in between, they’ve been used to age stout from Cork’s Franciscan Well brewery. This has added notes of cocoa, coffee and butterscotch to this classic Irish whiskey.
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Jameson Caskmates Review:
I had been wanting to try a stout in this vintage and the Beer Merchants gave me a bottle of Jameson Caskmates 2012 for the purpose. A quick pour and I saw the color was a rich dark chocolate rather than the deep mahogany I was expecting. But there was a note of sweetness, more than fruit and a little spice to it. As I was new to the blend I decided to forego reading the label right then and drink this now.
I had forgotten how smooth this whiskey can be. It’s flavorful without being overpowering or too full on. You don’t find yourself raising your voice at it. It’s got a nice kick. This is a balanced whiskey for sure.
Nose: Sweet chocolate. Musty. Rich whiskey. Dusty oak. Butterscotch and dark chocolate.
Taste: Rich. Sweet. Dark chocolate. Butterscotch. Grand Marnier.
Finish: Long. Slight cloudiness. oily. Woody. Grey. More of the same buttscotch and dark chocolate.
Jameson Caskmates is a great addition to any home bar or a home cellar. It’s not super massive in strength, favors a single glass but never fails to provide a quality drink. It’s smooth and easy to drink. You can also pick up some great expressions of this whiskey.
14% ABV (146 Proof)
Jameson Caskmates Review 1:
This Jameson Stout Caskmates was excellent. I found nothing to detract from this whiskey and would recommend it highly for any fan of stout, Irish whiskey or both. In fact, after waiting many weeks for this to arrive I would highly recommend ordering a bottle for yourself. It was one of the best blends of whiskey and beer I’ve experienced.
The Jameson Caskmates Stout is a 14 year old blend of Irish whiskey and beer. brewmaster Andy Connors of the Franciscan Well brewery in Cork supervised the blending of the whiskey and beer. It is blended to give a lighter flavor to the blend. The beer is brewed from malt, hops and water and is aged in used whiskey barrels. More of an average whiskey, it is rich for an Irish whiskey and clean for a stout. The aroma includes spicy notes of pepper and warm molasses enhanced by the notes of smoke and earth from the barrels. The taste matches the aroma with deep malty notes of biscuit, honey and caramel enhanced by the fruity and spicy notes in the nose that added a depth to the flavor. The finish is long and the finish is tingling with a grapefruit, caramel and roasted nuts, and a little bit of heat reminiscent of hot coffee.
First impressions is this whiskey is a very dry and clean whiskey. The initial flavor is really strong of a malty whiskey, that also has a very nice smoky, salty taste, that is from the barrels that it was aged in. Once the whiskey and the beer settle down together it is a very nice whiskey. I was surprised how I got nothing but that smoky, salty taste after the initial taste. There are floral flavors and notes of grain with a long, smooth finish.
I would suggest this as a whiskey to any one else that likes a twist on Irish whiskey that has been aged with beer. This is a very interesting whiskey that blends well together and this is all because of the barrels that were used.
Jameson Caskmates Review 2:
The 12 year old Corked version of the Jameson Caskmates is one of my favorite Irish whiskeys. I still have not seen a bottle of the stout Caskmates. I will be happy to review it once I do see it again. I feel that this stout adds a nice flavor to the whiskey. Therefore I am giving the review for this variation.
The neat thing about this whiskey is that the beer continues to change during its aging. As the beer has aged it has changed and brought different flavors and flavors that where not originally in the beer. I have no problem saying that this is the best Irish whiskey of the caskmates series. I have tried the flight of Jameson Caskmates, all the different variations of the 12 year old and the Stout flavor caskmates.
