N: Fresh red apple, pear, melted caramel, and brown sugar. Dash of grain alcohol and barrel char. Vanilla, dried red fruit, and a smokiness that reminds of that smoke you sometimes find in bourbon, which I'm a big fan of.
P: Vanilla, apple, and caramel. Really nice, rich red fruit. Pear and peach. Barrel starts to build in the middle and brings some charred wood notes and a little of that classic Jameson bitterness with it - this is more complicated than the standard juice though. Finish is almost non-existent, which is a shame. Just a bit of lingering heat with vanilla and anonymous fruit.
This supplants my prior fav Jamo, the Stout finish. That's a lovely novelty, this is an Irish whiskey. I can't compare it to the higher end Jameson, but this one makes me think those more expensive bottles may be worth a shot. Especially if those don't fall flat at the finish as this does.
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@angstrom I've explored a few $150-200 bottles lately and while they've been fine, I generally think I prefer having 2-3 $60 bottles instead. Feels like I can find similar enough quality at that price and don't see much reason to pay for exclusivity. But I can easily imagine if my income doubled or something, maybe I'd not think that hard about it.
@angstrom I know several small business owners and tradesmen who make a great living and love drinking expensive whiskey.
@skillerified Same here. Historically the 18 was $99 here. Back in stock before St Patty’s Day at $165. Trying to figure out who is buying all these bottles. I live in one of the best neighborhoods in the state with friends that are well paid professionals who love whiskey. I am the only one who ever bought a bottle over $100. If we are not the target market, who is?
@ContemplativeFox I was thinking hard about grabbing an 18 last week or so, but seems like a huge step up in price. Then TW kicked it up another $15 (to $165) and I couldn't pull the trigger. Looks like it's gone now. I would probably take a flyer on it at $100, but find it unlikely to be a winner much above that.
From my experience and what I've read, this seems to be the high point for Jameson in terms of VFM. I haven't tried the 18 though, which many seem to adore.