Jameson Cold Brew

A gift bottle, this is something I don't think I'd ever seriously consider on my own. While I love finished whiskies, flavored bottles I hold in less esteem. So my biases are out there, I enjoy a strong bitter cold brew coffee. I really enjoy Irish whiskey. I'm not a Jameson fanboy by any means, but I'll approach this with an open mind. I'm in the process of tasting my way through a few weird things in the amaro/mixer cabinet and this fits right in. I'll be commenting on Van Gogh Double Espresso Vodka right after this experience. First pour from a newly opened bottle (neck pour) tasted neat from a glencairn. The pour was given about 10 minutes to rest before evaluation. This liquor is a total coffee color in the glass. It looks like something between flat Coca Cola and drip coffee from the morning pot. Translucent with little sheeting on the swirl. The nose is almost pathetically weak. I expect the aroma of coffee, natural or artificial but I'm getting almost nothing. No whiskey notes I can identify, just the slightest trace of generic coffee and a faint wisp of ethanol. I'm certainly losing confidence in this now. Let's go in for a taste. Watered down whiskey in bad coffee, left in a mug overnight. Perhaps with some cigarette ash in it. Bitter, nasty finish. Good god, this is bad. Jameson themselves say to mix this with cola, add ice, mix with coffee, anything but drink it neat. I should have listened to them.

The nose starts with a light coffee aroma reminiscent of stale Folgers left from the previous day’s batch then chocolate nibs, light fruit of orange peel, and light barrel spices with no ethanol bite. The taste is a thin mouthfeel starting with coffee, chocolate nibs, then orange peel and light spices with light ethanol burn that finishes short with stale coffee with chalky undissolved powdered creamer. So drinking this neat, it is flawed with the coffee flavors overpowering the whiskey notes to the point that it feels like just another coffee liqueur and not a coffee/whiskey blend. I’m a big fan of combining whiskey with coffee, but this doesn’t accomplish that balance of roast coffee notes mixing with fruits and barrel spices of the whiskey. So if you’re stuck with a bottle and don’t enjoy this neat, I might have a possible concoction that might solve the conundrum of how to finish this bottle without utilizing it as drain cleaner. I took the remainder of my sample, made a 1:1 ratio with chocolate milk, added a few frozen cherries, tablespoon of maple syrup, ice and stirred which then transformed this into a very enjoyable cold cherry mocha with some maple syrup richness. 1.0 neat, 4.0 for the cocktail. Thanks @PBMichiganWolverine for the generous sample.

I’m actually a fan of this blend of whisky and cold brew and had been wanting to try it for a while. Finally got the chance to in company. We all pretty much had the same reaction at first or the nose, palate was a bit different for everyone however. So the main thing obviously is the coffee, it’s definitely the main protagonist in the story of the blend. The scent on the nose is pretty strong and gives you that night time coffee feeling at first whiff, but on the palate, you mostly get the whisky and some vanilla with a hint of citrus, quite subtle. The coffee flavour comes back towards the end with a nice black coffee finish that lingers around the palate a little bit. If you’re a fan of black coffee you may be inclined to try this out. If not, it might not be your blend of choice, but worth a try nonetheless.

It’s coffee in whiskey, and proofed down to 30%. And unsweetened. To that point, it does it’s job if you like unsweetened coffee in whiskey. Don’t go expecting much, but you can get creative with it. So —I use this for a nice hot summer drink—-I take whipped coffee foam, add milk, ice, and an ounce of this. Makes for an amazing hot afternoon drink. Also makes an amazing adult tiramisu. Dip the lady fingers in this instead of espresso, and adds a nice twist to the dessert. Worth the money? Hell no. You’d better off buying a cheap Irish whiskey and adding good coffee to it.

One of the best flavored whiskies I've ever tasted. Jameson Cold Brew is Jameson whiskey mixed with cold brew coffee made from Brazilian and Columbian Arabica beans. The result is a delicious dram that's pretty much the best of both worlds. On the nose I get coffee and vanilla. The palate is a mix of coffee, toasted oak and dark chocolate. It leads to a nice, dry finish. Smooth and easy-drinking, but not overly sweet. Personally, this is right up my alley. Another plus is that there's no added sugars in here (which I dislike in most other flavored whiskies).

On the nose i just smell coffee or perhap close to a dark beer like a stout. it's taste like a creamy iced coffee that have been left far too long before drinking it with a slight hint of whisky. It probably would have been interesting if the proof was above 40%. At 30% I can barely taste the whisky and the finish disappear right away. Might used in a mixed drink or in a hot day with milk and ice if I want a iced coffee drink. If you like coffee you probably enjoy it, but if you want to actually taste whisky, stay clear.