LET ' S TALK ABOUT WHISKY
W L
LET ' S TALK ABOUT WHISKY
by David Beaufort-Dysart
Hello , fellow whisk ( e ) y lovers . ‘ So , what does Irish Whiskey and the first Radio have in common ? more of that later !
Let ' s start this month ’ s column with a trip to the Movies , Whisky and Films , get the popcorn ready . Incidentally are you a sweet or salty person , maybe a combination ? half and halve ? or do you just go crazy and mix it all together ! for me it ’ s a mix of the two '. I recently came across a recipe for Honey , Whisky Popcorn ( a must try !)
Right let ’ s go : Lights , Camera , ACTION !
• For any Trekkie fans , Jameson Whiskey in season 3 , episode 4 . Captain Kirk has a head-to-head with a son he never knew he had . Jameson Irish Whiskey was the toast drink .
• ' Hello James '! yes , the infamous secret agent was drinking a Macallan 1962 in Skyfall “ Bonds favorite dram ”.
• " Here ' s Jonny " say no more ! ' The Shining ', the famous scene when ' Jack Torrence ' orders a Bourbon at the Bar of the Overlook Hotel- he is served a Jack Daniel ’ s , which I might add is not technically a Bourbon ( it ' s a Tennessee Whisky ) maybe it was in the name ... a Jack for Jack !
• The film 28 days later , Brendan Gleeson , in all the doom and gloom of zombies taking over the world , he decides to go and pick up a bottle of his favourite dram none other than ‘ Lagavulin ', he reads the words on the box of Whisky “ it takes out the fire and leaves in the warmth ”.
So where do we go now ? Well , to answer the first question , one of John Jameson ' s sons , Andrew was the great grandfather of Guglielmo Marconi , the gentleman that is credited with inventing the Radio .
Our chosen dram this month is Jamesons Black Barrel , before we dive in let ’ s learn about the man himself .
John Jameson , born 1740 was originally a lawyer from Alloa in Scotland he married Margaret Haig ( daughter of John Haig , whisky distiller ) keep it in the family eh ! Together the Jamesons had 16 children . In 1780 John Jameson started Whiskey distillation at Bow Street , Dublin .
By the turn of the 19th Century , Jameson ’ s was the 2nd largest producer of Whiskey in Ireland and one of the largest in the world , producing some 1,000,000 gallons every year . In 1805 it became the world ' s number one Whiskey . Fast forward to 2019 and sales surpassed 8 million cases .
Jameson Whiskey is produced from a blend of grain whiskey and single pot still Whiskey , using a mix of malted and unmalted or known as “ green ” barley . The Whiskey is now distilled at the New Middleton Distillery in County Cork . The grain they use is all sourced from within a 50-mile radius and they dry the barley using naturel gas , this is a contrast to using peat as a fuel a traditional method used in some Scotch Whisky .
The old Bow Street Distillery is now a Whiskey Museum , in 2016 they invested nearly £ 10 million to renovate the building . Well worth a trip .
Ireland has a large Whiskey Tourism trade with over 600,000 visiting in 2017 .
Some other bottlings from the Jameson range :
• Jameson Irish Whiskey – the quintessential Irish blend . Lots of cooked orchard fruits and lovely notes of vanilla custard .
• Jameson ‘ Orange ’ Irish Whiskey - a twist on their classic Irish whiskey . Combining with natural orange flavour , Inspired by the Old-Fashioned cocktail .
• Jameson Cask Mates ‘ Stout Edition ’ – aged in stout-seasoned casks . An interesting dram , flavours of chocolate , coffee , hops and butterscotch .
• Jameson ‘ Black Barrel ’ - blend of small batch grain and traditional Irish pot still whiskeys . These are then matured in a combination of American oak , sherry , and double charred bourbon casks . ( Our Whiskey of the month )
• Jameson 18-year-old Irish Whiskey - a blend of Irish whiskeys matured in American and European oak barrels and finished in first fill American bourbon barrels for a minimum of 6 months , ABV of 46 %, which also removes the need for chill filtration and should result : a richer mouthfeel and more depth of flavour .
Before we taste let us have a recap on how I taste , again try this method or ' go your own way '!
The Glass : ideally , I recommend you use a Glencairn glass , I ( and many ) see it as the official whisk ( e ) y tasting glass .
Pour and nose : add 20-25 ml of whiskey to the glass , give it a gentle swirl then waft the glass from side to side under the nose ( smelling lightly is the key ) you need to get past the first hit of alcohol , then look for the character of your dram , try and focus on first impressions ; fruit ? floral ? woody ? smoke ? peat ?
Jameson Black Barrel 40 % abv . Small batch Whiskey , with a high proportion of Irish pot still and small batch grain . This gives more body and richness . It ’ s aged in double or re-charred first fill bourbon casks aka black barrels . This is a tribute to the coopers who painstakingly gave their barrels an additional charring , this to give added richness and complexity to the Whiskey .
This Whiskey won 1st place for Best Irish Whiskey in 2015 – International Whisky Competition Colour : Deep gold , copper tinges Nose : Intensely fruity , vanilla , spice , some background smoke Taste : Subtle spice , some barrel char comes through , soft and smooth Finish : Smooth and well balanced “ Whisky making is an act of cooperation between the blessings of nature and the wisdom of man .” – Masataka Taketsuru
Until next time ... Slàinté
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