Jameson Bow Street 18 Year Cask Strength (Batch One)

Trying something different for St. Patrick's: side-by-side of 18 and 18 Bow Street Batch One 18 N: Sweet fruit, wood, cherry, bit too much ethanol, maybe some citrus, shaving soap. 18 Bow Street N: Rich vanilla and caramel, orchard fruit, soft oak, touch of tropical fruit, butterscotch candy and/or butterscotch bread pudding. 18 P: Caramel, vanilla, sour cherry, baking spice, butterscotch, round tropical fruit flavors, peaches and cream, honey. Bit thin and watery on the mouthfeel. 18 Bow Street P: Fuller, rounder, richer - tropical fruit, sweet cereal malt, much bigger spice profile, cinnamon, peaches and cream again, some earth, some herbs, touch of pine, bit of cherry cough syrup, blonde coffee notes. 18 F: Smooth, mild, sweet, touch of that shaving soap, vanilla cream, floral notes. 18 Bow Street F: Long with oak, barrel spice, pot still spice, cinnamon, plenty of heat, cherry, lingering sweetness, touch of copper, some tannin bitterness. The lineage of both is apparent - they are both Jameson. That said, would I have pegged that blind - maybe is the best I can say - probably not if not writing tasting notes that I can compare against before deciding. The 80 proof 18 year is (expectedly) thinner and in some ways less appealing, but it also has some more delicate notes that are powered out in the 112 proof Bow Street. Most of the time, the more robust nature of the Bow Street is probably preferable, but there are definitely nights where the lighter proof and profile of the 18 would be better. I have to wonder what a 90 or even 100 proof of this would be like. Pretty damn good, I suspect. Final judgment: since I somehow managed to pay less for the cask strength, it's the obvious winner here. Taking VFM out, it's a closer call, but the Bow Street is richer with a longer finish, more complexity, and a better mouthfeel. Bow Street is the clear winner 9 times out of 10. In comparing to other Irish whiskies of similar age, the sad reality is this is that neither of these is a match for, for example, Red Spot (15 year age statement, I think) or the Redbreast 12 or 15. It not the same thing - this is blended, those are single pot still - but those cost less and taste better. However that happens, it is what it is. As to proof, Blue Spot or Redbreast CS are both better than the Bow Street. Hard to justify the price of the Bow Street. It's interesting, the kind of thing you don't regret buying and trying once, but don't likely return to. ____________ Please come join an unofficial Distiller community on Discord (now one whole year old!): https://discord.gg/4nfePCdyKM. We chat spirits (and other things) in real time while being a great resource to each other for recommendations, finding deals, and generally enjoying the journey together. (If the link is expired - it shouldn't be - please post a comment and I will gladly and usually quickly provide a new one.)

Glad I stumbled across this one at a goddamn karaoke bar in SF... Last pour. Not too shabby...

Uhm… there are redeeming qualities to the bottle but if you are wanting Irish and to spend some dough, find red spot, redbreast, Waterford, bushmills or powers before buying this. Or at least sample it at a bar.

Strong taste, long finish, beautiful.