MountainRoot
Jameson Caskmates IPA Edition
Blended — Ireland
Reviewed
September 28, 2018 (edited November 20, 2018)
Appearance: The color this Irish explorer is showing off is a deep gold, with thin but viscous legs holding on to the inside of the glass.
Nose: The nose is similar to its stout brother, but more floral and with a funky hops note added in. Buscuity bread, straw in a barn, dried orange rind, cinnamon, and sawdust notes also find their way into the lovely nose.
Taste: The palate is smooth coming in, smoother even than the Caskmates Stout if you can believe it. There is definitely the slight taste of a hoppy IPA beer in this dram, which, IPA’s being not my favorite style of beer I thought I wouldn’t like, however, this meshes with the standard Jameson so well! Heavy notes of orange and grapefruit, with notes of baking spices add to the palate as well.
Finish: The finish is less harsh than the Caskmates Stout and with no burn. The finish is short to medium and leaves a hoppy bitter aftertaste and also a fresh clean feeling that reminds me of a Colorado bourbon.
Thoughts: I compared this to the Jameson Caskmates Stout Edition, as you could probably tell, which I really enjoy! I wasn’t expecting much from this Irish whiskey, but shoot, I like it a lot! It’s not overwhelmingly bitter or IPAesk, but you can definitely detect the influence, especially if you’re familiar with the standard Jameson. I’m so glad I tried this, I would definitely recommend it and would buy this again! Thanks for a good dram Jameson! Sláinte!
24.0
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Bottle
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@cascode I can totally see that and respect that. I agree with what you're saying, tastes can change with so many variables. But what I think is if you're trying new things and can't afford a whole bottle right then, a sample size is the way to go! But yeah, if your fairly certain you're going to like something and can afford it, go get the big bottle. ;) Cheers to you, friend!
@MountainRoot Samples are very useful, particularly for expensive or rare spirits that you'd never be able to taste otherwise. There is a caveat, however - I only buy samples produced by the distillery itself (usually 50 or 100ml size) or 30ml samples made by reputable dealers who decant an entire bottle into samples at a time and fill right to the stopper so that oxidisation will not be an issue. MoM and WE are good, and there are two retailers locally in Australia who also prepare quality samples. The only other problem is that a sample only gives me a snapshot of the whisky. It's a single taste of a newly opened bottle and I seem to need several tastes to form a full opinion. Sometimes whiskies change radically after the opening taste, or else my mood changes from day to day, and so I need several tastes to write an aggregated set of tasting notes. For that reason I always prefer a full bottle when I can afford it, or if it's available.
@BDanner, I am quite grateful for sample size bottles. At first I thought they were trashy, but they're actually quite helpful!
That's how I discovered it. Around St Paddy's day, they had a bucket of 50mls up front for $1ea.
@cascode and @Scott_E , I'm glad your interests are piqued. If you are still leery, my local liquor store has the sample-sized bottles. They may be in your areas too if you look. If not, I guess the full size isn't the most expensive thing on the market.@BDanner , well you did not in my case! Cheers, men!
@MountainRoot Glad you enjoyed it! I'm always leery of steering folks in the wrong direction.
@MountainRoot You have piqued my interest. I too am not a seeker of IPAs so this is one I have seen but passed over. Will have to try a pour at a bar one day. Nice review.
@MountainRoot Good review. That' the third recommendation I've had now so I might just go for a stroll this afternoon and pick up a bottle :-)
@BDanner, I tried it and really like it! Thanks for the recommendation!