Jameson 18 Year Old

Nose: Higher pitch and more floral than the small pot reserve. The vanilla is rather more prominent here, and in a very buttery rich whipped cream/airy ice cream way. The base aroma is honey on a cool fruit salad. Pear, peach, and other fruits with white meat. Pinch of cinnamon and anise, and very refreshing.

Palate: Oooh, citrusy and spicy! This is going somewhere new and exciting. I really like how this kicks out. Pepper and cinnamon on the fruit simmering in honey, vanilla, and cloves. Oils from pressed violets (it does taste 'purple,' which, Homer Simpson argues, IS a fruit.) Creamy. Fruit pie a la mode with almonds.

Finish: Not the strongest or longest, but very heavy on the same general flavors as the small pot reserve. There's more wood, spice, and honey in thi sone. Very tasty, though I probably prefer the SPR. Both, though, are clearly cut from the same cloth. I half think that this could be a bit richer, but I don't think that the ABV is the issue. Who am I kidding? This is lots of fun! I'm looking forward to trying a Vintage Reserve at some point. This one settles in nicely B/B+ (86)

First time in a long time that I really tinkered with Jameson, and I really hope that I don't wait so long until I do again!

This review is made from two different bar samples from two different bottles at different times and places. The two samples which were used tasted and smelled very similar to one another.

Nose: vanilla, hint of confectioner's sugar, light lemon-citrus; not too much intensity

Taste: lots more flavour in the mouth, especially much more citrus, than in the nose; substantial toffee and vanilla, with some wine notes becoming noticeable in the mouth

Finish: all the flavours stay strong for a relatively long finish. Nice, but heavy on the toffee, and the oak seems a little tired

Balance: the parts fit together well, except that I would have preferred a stronger nose. Bar samples were used for this review, so I would also hope to later taste a newly opened bottle for contrast, to see whether oxidation changed the original flavours very much in the samples reviewed

Bottom line for me: the wood tastes tired to me here, and so I prefer the Jameson 12 yo Special Reserve to this Jameson 18 yo

When I first started enjoying the luxury of fine whiskey, I never thought at first that I would be finding myself purchasing a $100.00 bottle of whiskey. After I went to a local bar in the Cleveland, Ohio area, and tried Jameson 18 for the first time I couldn't wait to spend that money to get a bottle of this at my home to enjoy.

This Whiskey is very smooth and has a great after taste. There is absolutely no bite to this whiskey and you can enjoy this drink all night long. It is very aromatic and has flavors that I cannot even pull out in finish. Very fruity though. I love this and would recommend this to anyone who enjoys the finer things in life.

Now my wife and I were attending a series of whisky and chocolate pairings at Helvetica, the local whisky bar. This was fairly amusing because I didn't care for chocolate, but did love whisky.

I've been interested in pairing whisky with food for sometime as a way to maybe help introduce more people to the awesomeness of whisky.

What better way then through a good food combination?

My wife and I had tried a Dalwhinnie 15 yr old with a honeycomb combo which was PERFECT! And then we tried a combination of Glenmorangie Quinta Ruban with a mint chocolate. This combination was good, but not brilliant.

Next to taste was Jameson 18 yr old with chocolate chip cookies.

Now I'm familiar with Jameson, it having been my Irish whisky go to choice for years, but that was always the basic bottle. Never the 18 yr old. Having heard nothing, but good things about Jameson 18 yr old I was excited to try it.

So as the same with the last two whisky pairings I had decided that I would try the whisky first and then try it with the chocolate.

As I nose the glass of Jameson the first thing I get is oak. But there is also vanilla and honey in the nose in decent amounts. The strongest aromas were of vanilla and oak.

I have to be honest, I kept expecting more to the nose and felt somewhat disappointed when I was able to pick up anything else.

I decide that maybe a taste will lift up my expectations!

What a hard duty I have. Tasting whisky and getting to tell other people what I thought....:D

So I take a sip out of my glass and the first thing that I get is oak. Lots of oak. Very very rich oak. There is also the vanilla and the honey with some sort of subdued spice, but oak is the star of the show.

It's not bad, in fact it's very well balanced.

The finish is medium length with the oak standing out, but you also get the malt and a hint of the honey following it all down.

This was a very good Irish whisky, but somehow I was hoping for more. I felt a little bored for lack of a better word.

I decide to try it with the chocolate chip cookies. Maybe it'll bring out something different!

So I take another sip of my Jameson's and then I take a bite out of my cookie.

It's an ok combination. Neither really overpowers the other, the vanilla can still be picked out in the whisky and the oak shines through clear as day.

As our hostess is walking around, she stops at our table and we chat for a bit. She asks me what I think of the combination and I let her know that I think it's an OK combination, but not phenomenal like the first one.

She explains that she got the idea from her father always eating chocolate chip cookies while drinking Jameson 18 yr old.

We talk a little bit more about the whisky and I decide that I have to be honest when she asks me what I think of the Jameson.

"It's a good whisky, but I never would want to see it at 30 yrs old."

"Why?"

"The oak is very strong at 18 yrs old. At 30 it would completely dominate the whisky and ruin any balance in my opinion."

She smiles and nods and continues on.

This is a good Irish whisky, it's not bad in any shape or form, but it is not an exciting whisky in any shape or form.

My whisky score can be found down below.

My score for the whisky and chocolate combination for this one would have to sit at around 65 out of a 100.

Again it's not a bad combination, but not one I would choose.

To mark today's date (which has a private wistfulness for me), I decided to splurge on this bottle and give it a try. Not being a big Jameson fan, it was a bit of a risk, but well worth it.

As you would expect, the colour is much darker, like a deep liquid gold, very rich. Fairly runny legs in the glass, which I suppose befits a 40% ABV triple-distilled liquid?

It is a light nose, almost bourbon-y with vanilla and honey, and some malt in the background - somewhat damp and a little rubbery somehow. Water brings out some caramel, which adds to the bourbon comparison.

But the taste is definitely deeper than the nose - you can taste those 18 years in the oak, it's very rich. Again, it is reminiscent of bourbon with vanilla, nutmeg and honey, yet still very clean (again, that sharp triple distillation). Water brings out not only caramel but also butter - almost thickening it rather than thinning it out.

The finish is just right - not too long, very clean and crisp. Scrumptious! This is perfectly balanced, all the sherry, oak and barley plays very nicely together in the mouth. An excellent Irish whisky (likely the best I've had, edging out my previous favourite Black Bush). If this matters to you, this is the same bottle code as what Jim Murray tasted (JJ18-8) and gave a score of 91.

As I mentioned, I've never been a fan of Jameson but that opinion was based only on the standard expression - this is much richer but has much of the same crispness. I also have a bottle of the Rare Vintage Reserve, but I shall save that for another occasion!

Jameson's blends nearly unerringly improve with age. The 18 year old 'master selection' is no exception. Full-bodied, rich in flavours, it is nonetheless easy to drink thanks to the presence Jameson's characteristic thrice-distilled smoothness.