Jameson Black Barrel

Review #56 - Whisk(e)y #40 Bought in trio tasting pack, together with the Jameson Original and Stout Edition (50ml each), for just under 8 euros, which seems like quite a good deal. Chill-filtered - Yes Artifical Colour - Yes ABV - 40% Aspect - Deep gold colour. Nose - soft, sweet, creamy, malty, caramel, caramelised sugar-crème brûlé (first time I find this in whisk(e)y), honey, vanilla, ripe orchard fruit (yellow and red apple, pear), with underlying sharp, grainy and oaky spice. Palate - mellow, sweet, creamy front-end, malty, caramel, honey, vanilla, subtle oak spice on mid palate. The alcohol and spice are brought up, unfortunately, with some air. A bit of a funky note here as well. Finish - short-medium, creamy and sweet, some woody dryness on the late finish / aftertaste, together with herbacious aromas and subtle bitterness...and again that same weird note as on the Jameson Stout...mineraly-metallic, I don't know how to describe it. Not a fan of that. Overall the whisky is much better than I expected given its price point. Round, well-integrated aromas, very approachable, not spice-forward. There is indeed some older distilate in here for sure, and most of it is indeed malt. However...it is still extremely linear, nose = palate = finish, no development, with the funky notes which are not great. I am being picky at this point...it is definitely a whiskey that punches well above its class. Rating System: 5.0 - Perfect 4.5 - Exceptional 4.0 - Very Good 3.5 - Good 3.0 - Decent 2.5 - Average 2.0 - Below Average 1.5 - Barely Drinkable 1.0 - Undrinkable 0.5 - JB

Jameson Black Barrel is a step up from the entry level. I wouldn't necessarily go out of my way to drink it, but its solid enough in cocktails and on its own to make it worthwhile if offered. The nose has a bit of smoke, but I mainly notice the grain. The first couple of sips are a bit thin, with oak, lemon and apples. It veers a touch sweet. The finish has very little burn but fades quickly. I did get a bit of maltiness on the finish as well. Are there better blends out there, absolutely (Bushmills Black Bush comes to mind), but it's serviceable and not too expensive. If you are using this in cocktails, it has decent value. However, if I was planning to just sit down and have a drink neat, I would gladly pay an extra $10-15 for a bottle of say Knappogue Castle 12 year over this.

I bought this bottle because I wanted to try an Irish Old Fashion cocktail that called for it. The cocktail was good, but when I tried the whiskey neat it wasn't as desirable. The nose is fruity and full. I researched the bottle because I was expecting smoky notes, considering it's called Black Barrel. I found out that ex-sherry barrels were used along with ex-bourbon barrels, which made sense because the jammy, cherry, fruity notes that I often get off sherry casks comes through front and centre. I found it very enjoyable. On the palate, I got some fruity notes from the sherry influence, along with some subtle spice, but not much after that. However, I didn't enjoy the finish. There was a harsh bitterness that's hard to explain. Overall, it's not really my thing. 5/10

Picked this up at a local liquor store while traveling out of town. Everything in the store was over-priced, so grabbed this as a “safe” and relatively affordable option. It delivered as being a safe and enjoyable pour, while not being remarkable. Very pleasant to drink, sufficently flavorable, while not being particularly memorable in either a positive or negative way. Will happily drink again if available while out, but probably won’t stock at home as I have other Irish whiskeys l like better at a similar price point.

Dominance of the bourbon casks - the extra charred ex-bourbon barrels really work very well here. Creamy toffee, honey and sweet apples on the nose and a slight, slight smoky touch. Then, on the palate, smoke disappears and fruits and spicy notes come out as a compliment to the vanilla and toffee sweetness, which are finishing nicely. Good everyday whiskey, comparable to the Proper No. Twelve, but a little more complex.

This one was a nice suprise. The noise has coconut, vanilla and oranges. It’s very restrained, but the arrival is where all the action is. There’s toasted oak, licorice, toffee and vanilla. Caramel in spades of course, but suprisongly more than a hint of cola as well. Not a complex whisky, but an eminently drinkable one. A perfect dessert dram.