Jameson Caskmates Stout Edition

clean, spice & oak, nutmeg. w/h20; melon, smooth w/frt

Meh. Not what I expected. Not bad though.

first Irish in a while, id like to try it side by side with standard Jameson...

So I picked this up for St. Paddy’s Day because it’s about the only time of the year I go Irish - in whiskey anyway. Lots of positive talk/reviews of this one in some of the whiskey groups I frequent so I figured what the hell. Let’s give it a go shall we? This version of Jameson is matured in “craft beer barrels” according to the label. Notice it doesn’t actually say “Stout” beer barrels, the name not withstanding. It’s bottled at the typical 40% ABV and is a nice medium gold in the glass. I expect it’s both colored and filtered. It leaves thin watery legs and not a few water droplets on the glass when you give it a swirl. The nose is pleasant enough with weak mild fruits, honey, and weak malty biscuits. Notice the word “weak”; it’s gonna come up a few more times before this review is over. The palate has light honey, butter, weak fruits, and no trace of Stout that I could discern. Definitely none of the coffee or chocolate notes that are typical in Stout. There is an odd flavor I couldn’t quite put my finger on. Not bad, just something I really couldn’t identify. Maybe that’s the influence of the beer barrels? Hops maybe? The finish is short and the flavor I couldn’t identify carries through to the finish. Again, it’s not unpleasant, just different. Overall this isn’t a bad dram for $30. Its definitely drinkable if not memorable. 3/5. Sláinte!