robertmaxrees
Jameson Black Barrel
Blended — Ireland
Reviewed
February 20, 2020 (edited June 6, 2020)
Nose: Buttery shortbread. Sweet orange - zest and flesh. Flour. Cream, apricots, persimmons, bananas. White and brown sugar, vanilla. Sweet basil. Oak - just a hint of char. Somewhat understated.
Palate: Develops on what the nose brings to the table. Vanilla, sugar, strawberry, apricot, cream. Orange and persimmon. Oak is more assertive, I'm getting a reasonable barrel character here, complete with some tannin, barrel bitter, and barrel bite. Mouthfeel is medium-light. Finish is medium-short and starts with a pop, the mid-palate opens up to reveal some bright, metallic character. As things slowly come back down, the oak and fruit play off each other until everything settles down into a vanilla whipped cream with peanuts and blueberries.
Other notes: I eyed the proof of this while opening the bottle and almost immediately said "I'm going to wish this was higher proof" - I was spot on. There are some really interesting things happening here. Still very Jameson in character, the added oak influence really helps bring something more assertive and bold, while remaining very easy to drink - this feels a little more cohesive and developed, which is likely a function of the fact that I tend to lean towards bourbon.
Create Account
or
Sign in
to comment on this review