Jameson Select Reserve Review


“Light and Fruity”

Country: Ireland
Brand: Jameson Select Reserve Small Batch 
Type: Blended Irish Whiskey
Age: NAS. (Probably around 12 Years for the Pot Still and 5 Years for the Grain).
Alcohol: 40%

Colour: Pale Gold

Nose: Toasted Grain, Malt, Puff Pastry, Butterkekse, Toffee, Vanilla Ice Cream, Resin, Oak, Pear Drops, Nectarine, Papaya Cream, Apple, Milky Way, slightly Sour Cherries, ripe Bananas, light Citrus, Almonds, Cinnamon, Ginger, Floral notes and Chocolate. I was expecting to find clear Sherry - and Charred Oak notes but that's not the case. On the Nose, the Select Reserve's main drivers are Toasted Cereals and Fruit. A true "Breakfast" Whiskey. The Alcohol is there but does not interfere with the Nosing procedures. There are of course some similarities with the Standard Jameson but the Select Reserve gives a more mature impression. The Fruity notes are more pronounced as well. 

Palate: Weak arrival. This expression deserves a higher ABV. On the Palate, this Jameson is Light, Bitter-Sweet and a little Herbal. I find Toasted Cereals, Malt, Vanilla, Oak, Coconut, Apple, Pear, Banana, light Citrus, Nectarine, Nuts, Resin, Pepper, Cinnamon, Ginger, White Wine and Chocolate.

Finish: Short and Bitter-Sweet with Vanilla, Cereals, Pear Drops, Nectarine, light Banana, light Citrus, Oak, Toffee, Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Cardamom, light Pepper and light Licorice. A distant hint of Nail Polish.

Rating: 82 

Nose: 21.5 – Taste: 20 – Finish: 20 – Overall: 20.5


General Remarks: The Old Jameson distillery was founded in 1780. Today this Whiskey is produced at the Midleton Distillery. This Blend was originally known as Jameson Select Reserve Small Batch containing both Pot Still- and Small Batch Grain Whiskey and matured in a mix of First Fill and Re-Fill Ex-Bourbon and Ex-Oloroso Sherry Casks. The Grain Whiskey for this specific Jameson is only distilled once a year. It is my understanding that both Malted and Un-Malted Barley is used in the production process and that the Pot Still Whiskey matures in the Ex- Sherry Casks while the Grain Whiskey matures in the Ex-Bourbon (Wild Turkey) casks. Late 2013, the Select Reserve was replaced by the Black Barrel. The information around this Blend is a bit confusing but I assume that it's basically the same Spirit. The Ex-Bourbon casks used for the Black Barrel are charred twice, hence the name. The sample I'm tasting today is the Select Reserve. I will try to get a sample of the Black Barrel as well in order to verify if there are any differences between the two. Like most Irish Whiskey, Jameson is Triple-Distilled. It is the best selling Irish Whiskey world-wide. This Blend is reasonably priced at around 40 US Dollars per bottle (December 2015).  

No need to add Water to this Blend. 

Drinking Experience Neat: Good 

Conclusion: The Select Reserve is not a bad Irish Whiskey and certainly more interesting than the Standard Jameson. It could have been even better though with an adequate ABV. The 40% does not do justice to the Spirit. The Select Reserve's main Flavours and Aromas are Toasted Grain, Vanilla and Fruit. It's not a very complicated Whiskey. This is also the reason why I'm not a huge fan of Irish Whiskey in general. Although I usually like the Nose, I find them slightly uneventful on the Palate and in the Finish. Still, the Price/Quality ratio is good and if you like a Light and Fruity Whiskey and you're a big fan of the Standard Jameson you can't go wrong with this Select Reserve!  

Jan van den Ende                                                             December 21, 2015

3 comments:

JohnM said...

I think they make grain whiskey all year round. They do a makr batch less frequently.

I agree with you about the abv. They do a cask strength at the distillery and it takes it up a good few notches.

Jan van den Ende said...

Hi John, thanks for commenting. What I wanted to say is that they produce the Small Batch Grain Whisky for this specific Jameson only once a year. I have adjusted the text to reflect that. Thanks once again!! And I would love to taste the Cask Strength version. I'm sure that would enhance this whisky a lot. Merry Christmas!!
Cheers!
Jan

JohnM said...

Happy Christmas to you too, Jan. A lot of the Jameson family would benefit from a little more alcohol oomph. At higher strength the pot still element becomes a lot creamier. It is lovely, if you like that style if whiskey.