Name: Jameson Caskmates
Type: Whiskey
Origin: Ireland
ABV: 40%
Price: $29.99 at Schnucks
This week hasn’t been optimal for anything resembling cigars and reviewing them. With the weather here in the St. Louis area beginning to make the turn to fall, as does my body’s reaction to said change. This change is mainly in the sinus area. Couple that with kids in school and daycare, it became the perfect storm of nasal and sinus stuffiness.
But not all is lost for the week. Over the last month or so, I have been constantly seeing commercials advertising Jameson Caskmates, the Irish whiskey that was finished in stout-seasoned whiskey casks. I remember the first time my wife and I saw this commercial. We shared an initial reaction of “That’s sounds like something we need to try.” Stopping by my local grocery store, I was pleased to find it readily available and very affordable.
I love the color on this whiskey. It’s visibly darker than most whiskeys I drink and seems to take on toffee or caramel coloring. With my nose and sinuses somewhat stuffed up, I wasn’t able to get much in terms of aromas. The Jameson gives the nose “crisp orchard fruits and mild pot still spices”. I could definitely detect the pot still spices, as similar aromas are abound in the standard Jameson expression. The flavor profile I would give this is very smooth with notes of toffee coupled with hints of stout hops and cocoa. I mentioned the smooth taste; this whiskey has very little “medicinal burn” to it, that burn more akin to the peat and smoke that I am accustomed to with Scottish whiskey. It’s this lack of burn, plus the combination of flavor notes, that could pull stout beer drinkers and non-whiskey drinkers in.
The combination of alcohol volume, flavor profile and smooth finish, the Jameson Caskmates makes for a great pairing with any level of cigar. It complements a cigar without getting the way. I was able to smoke a Dark Shark just before everything became stuffed up. This is my favorite Jameson product before getting into the higher end Red Breast and will be picking up another bottle when this one runs dry.
Final Score: 8.75/10
As always, thank you very much for reading and I look forward to the next time I can share my thoughts with you.
