Jameson Caskmates Kelso Pale Ale Edition

The beginnings of an Irish weekend commences with a pour of this regional neighborhood version of this Caskmates edition. Around 2014, Jameson partnered with Brooklyn micro brewer KelSo Beer Company and finished the Jameson standard with barrels that contained the brewers IPA. Only available in New York for a limited time, I snagged a bottle or two before they became extinct. This was a followup to the Stout Caskmates and may now been replaced by the new IPA Caskmates. The color is a golden copper. It has the Jameson baseline of hay, cereal and vanilla. This nose is a bit brighter with honey, apples, dill and rye. A bit of grapefruit citrus and floral and earthy hops, just enough to know it’s there. The nose is sweet spice, light and inviting. The palate takes on a soft, silky and lightweight body fluid that brings with it a malty-honeyed sweetness. Light citrus with hints of a mild coffee and cocoa. There is a bit of oak spice that appears towards the finish with a slight crescendoing presence of hops. What remains is a bit hoppiness with a caramel sweetness and a touch of cinnamon spice and lasts for a medium short length. For those who imbibe Jameson, this is a step up. It’s mild spicy sweetness makes this more of a sipping Jameson then a shooter or mixer. Quite enjoyable. As the Stout Edition provides nice chocolate notes and smoothness to the Standard, the KelSo IPA provides a nice citric and floral quality, nose through finish. It’s unfortunate that this is no longer produced but I am glad I was able to taste this one. [$37][86/100][Tasted: 3/15/19]

Tried before you can add. On par with the other caskmates

This is a special treat that's normally unavailable in my area of the country. This small batch Caskmates Edition is only available in New York State and is a collaboration between Jameson and Brooklyn, NY micro brewery Kelso Brewing Co. This sample was graciously supplied by a new trading partner and friend from Long Island- @Scott_E It's a standard 40% ABV and is your typical golden yellow in color. After a nice swirl it produces tons of long, slender legs in the Glencairn. There's a nice oily sheen left all the way around the glass that just hangs there until you take that first sip. The nose is very muted- little to no oak, no sweetness and no burn. Hmm, I went ahead and added a drop of water because I really want to see if there's any IPA beer notes to be found. Still not much of anything appears... That first sip is your typical Irish whiskey- butter smooth with a bit of vanilla and a quick hit of heat from the ABV. There's a very slight citrus pop but it washes away too quickly. I would love to say I detected some hops or some bitterness but it's just not there. So that's a bit of a letdown. The finish is quick and non-offending like every other Jameson I've had. I get the impression the beer wasn't left in these ex-Jameson barrels long enough to impart much, if any, flavor and that makes sense when it comes to IPA beer. Those beers are made to be drank as fresh as possible so leaving it in a whiskey barrel ruins the beer and that in turn doesn't give the beer enough time to saturate the barrels before being refilled with whiskey. Part of me thinks that the brewery should've sacrificed a few hundred gallons of beer and left it in the barrels for a really long time to "season" the barrels, but I know that's not good business practice. Oh well... Overall, this is just a marketing gimmick for Jameson and craft beer fans in and around NYC. I'm glad I got to try it, but it really isn't much different than any other run of the mill Jameson. Cheers.

Review transfer from Barreled from March 2017 Taking a quick detour from the SDT to try this Jameson blended Irish whiskey. This is the typical original Jameson but finished in barrels that previously held an American pale ale from the Kelso brewery in New York. Bottled at the minimum 40% ABV, most likely chill filtered with colorant added. The color is virtually identical to the original Jameson which is a golden amber. The nose starts out as your typical Jameson. Cereal malt, lemon peel, and light butterscotch. Very quickly the pale ale makes itself known. Bright citrusy hops with notes of grapefruit and pine. It's bright and floral and crisp. Right behind those hoppy notes there is rye bread with a little mint. I don't think rye is one of the grains used in Jameson, so it may be my nose playing tricks on me. Strong grapefruit hops on the palate up front. Crisp is the best way I can describe it. Not nearly as strong as an actual pale ale but it's there. Light butterscotch and mildly spicy. Not much complexity here, just more hops. A very weak mouthfeel, thin and watery. The finish is medium length. Fairly dry with grapefruit hops throughout. This is a one trick pony for sure. It's better than the original Jameson, but that isn't saying much. I do appreciate the contrasting styles and they play well together. I could see Glenmorangie working well with a pale ale finish. I'm glad I had the opportunity to try this one as it is a regional release and only available in the New York area, so thanks to @Scott_E for the sample. 3.25, worth trying but not worth buying.