Jameson The Distiller's Safe

I've had this bottle for a while now, and several times have meant to leave a note here...but the words wouldn't come. This evening, though, something struck me. The semester of college I spent in Ghana was...hot. Ghana is really damn hot. Most afternoons, I would get a bottle of ice cold Pepsi from the little shop in the international student hostel to cool off, plus a snack. My usual go-tos were Snappy Snacks (kind of like Japanese peanuts) and Fan Ice (a frozen treat that tasted like a cross between ice cream and cake frosting), but occasionally, I'd get an Akuafo Bar. Ghanaian chocolate with candied lemon peel...it was a good chocolate bar when the mood struck. This dram noses like snack time in Ghana minus the Pepsi. Milk chocolate, candied lemon, sweet vanilla (like frosting), a whiff of crunchy grain, and a funky floral note in the background. The palate is summery and light, beginning and ending with vanilla and wildflowers, with chocolate, lemon peel, and toasted grain in the mid-palate. The finish isn't overly long, but does linger. It's a good drop of whiskey, and lovely in the summer, but...this is not a $65 bottle. Personally, I think this is the weakest link in the series - the brightness of Cooper's Croze excels, for me, far beyond this or the Blender's Dog. I'm not sure any of them is really worth more than $60. Is this good? I have no complaints. Does it compete with, say, Powers John's Lane or Redbreast? Not for my money. Granted, it's trying to be something rather different (light and bright as opposed to rich and rounded), but an airy Irish NAS blend like this, which is tasty but not particularly complex, is...not worth $65 a bottle.

Good a little to strong for me on the straight side

Great white nose, Restrained pettiness.

I am a fan of Jameson to begin with but this is my new all time favorite