Jameson

Jameson is the biggest selling Irish whiskey brand in the world, and by a long way. Across its extensive range, the brand sells a staggering 90 million bottles a year. The Jameson Original with its famous green bottle and cream coloured label is the cornerstone of the range. This bottling accounts for nearly 90% of all Jameson sales.

 

 

Jameson is known for its soft, gentle and smooth character. The whiskeys show notes of vanilla, honey, green fruits (especially apple and pear) and white chocolate. There are also more subtle notes of tropical fruit (especially peach, apricot and pineapple), warming wood spices (such as cinnamon) and cocoa powder.

The range features numerous bottlings. The best-selling Jameson Original is joined by the Black Barrel and Crested expressions. There are also the Caskmates Stout and IPA Editions, both featuring maturation time in beer barrels. Flavoured variants come in the form of Jameson Orange and Cold Brew. These are joined by further older and limited edition expressions.

 

 

Jameson is produced at the Midleton distillery in Co. Cork. This is in the south of Ireland. The Jameson Original is a traditional Irish blend of single pot still and single grain whiskeys. Single pot still whiskeys are made using a mix of malted and unmalted barley and distilled through copper pot stills. Single grain whiskeys are usually made from wheat and distilled via column stills. In both cases, the spirits are triple distilled.

 

 

 

Jameson was founded by John Jameson in 1780 in Dublin, Ireland. He was a Scotsman, originally from Alloa, who moved to Ireland in the late-1770s. Jameson established his distillery at Bow Street in the centre of the city. It was an immediate success - by the early 1800s, it was the largest distillery in the world with an annual production of one million gallons (4.5 million litres).

Jameson died on December 3, 1823. The distillery was handed over to his four sons, who formed John Jameson & Sons in his honour. They were led by John Jameson II. The family continued to grow the business and expanded the distillery accordingly as their whiskey spread throughout the British Empire.

The third generation took control in 1851 with the appointment of John Jameson III. John Jameson IV followed in 1875. By 1880, the Bow Street distillery covered six acres (2.4 hectares) of central Dublin. Jameson was awarded a Royal Warrant from King Edward VII in 1904. A year later, the fifth generation took ownership with Andrew Jameson. He was followed by George Lionel Jameson in 1941.

 

 

The last direct descendant of John Jameson to run the distillery and brand was Alexander Crichton. He took the radical decision to join forces with two other Irish whiskey companies - Cork Distillers Co. and John Power & Sons - to form Irish Distillers Ltd. in 1966. The three companies were previously rivals but came together to try and save themselves and Irish whiskey. Sales had collapsed following two World Wars in Europe and the Prohibition era in America.

Production for all three companies moved to the new Midleton distillery in Co. Cork. This replaced the Old Midleton distillery, which had been operating since the 1820s. The final spirit from Bow Street was distilled on June 5, 1970. Irish Distillers Ltd. is now part of the larger Pernod Ricard group. The original distillery buildings in Bow Street now house the award-winning Jameson Experience and visitor centre. This welcomes visitors from all over the world and tells the story of Jameson throughout history.