Jameson Signature Reserve

I snagged a sample of this NAS travel retail exclusive (I think), from my brother in law in Windsor, Ontario. It’s important to note that this is not the Signature Reserve as listed, just Signature. Not sure what the difference is, but the labels are different and this comes in a clear glass bottle vs the standard Jameson green bottle. This blended Irish whiskey is bottled at 40% ABV, chill filtered and has colorant added making it a honey gold. The nose is light and the typical Jameson profile jumps out at you with cereal malt and honey. Immediately after that you find a few differences in almonds and floral notes. What I can only describe as fried beer batter comes in with a lightly breaded baked whitefish. Light oak but also cedar planks. Slightly grassy and a definite grain alcohol harshness. Very light toffee and vanilla. A sort of blended fruitiness, like pears, grapes and blueberries all muddled together. A very gentle wood smoke and a quick hit of powdered ginger. This one has complexity to it, but really makes you work for it. Typical Jameson profile on the palate as well. Cereal malt and honey. A touch salty or salted caramels and vanilla. Dry butter cookies made with not quite enough butter. Grassy with a light lemon citrus. Some melon and blackberries. A corn/grain alcohol comes through and makes you realize it’s been there the whole time. Once you notice it, it’s almost all you notice. Light bodied mouthfeel that is thin but lightly oily. Mouthwatering at first but turns dry. A medium short finish. Dry and dominated by barley and more so by that grain alcohol. This is not really better than the standard Jameson, but it’s not worse either. It’s just a little different. The grain alcohol comes through stronger here than the standard version, but also has a little more depth, so that’s a bit of a wash. I’m not really sure on the price point, but I’m fairly confident it’s in the $30-35 range for 1L. Like the standard version, this would be best on the rock with a splash of water or in a cocktail. A solid 3. Cheers

Wow this is a very enjoyable whiskey! And for the price it is almost a gem. It is called Jameson signature because at the beggining of Jameson times, the distiller used to sign his bottles to give the costumer something that cant be falsified. Bottled at 40%abv This is a very strightforward whiskey that works fine. On the nose: just banana and caramel. Nothing else, but in this case you dont need more. On the palate, banana and pepper. What a pleasant spiciness here! Aftertaste is simple but lovely. Peppery finish. Overall i give this dram an 87 over 100, and for the price tag it is very recommendable.

This started off our whiskey tasting last night and I quite enjoyed this drop. Unfortunately for the life of me I can't remember specific taste descriptors as many more whiskies soon followed and the night got hazy :-). I remember being impressed perhaps because my expectations were low (given it was Jamesons) or I was happy it was the end if the working week and it was my first whisky. Either way it didn't blow me away - 3.5 I'd give it but given its $60USD a litre or $40 for a normal sized bottle I'll round up to a 4 based on value for money.

Definitely a small step up from the normal Jameson, less alcohol burn in both nose and taste. This have more fruity, dried fruits smell than normal Jameson. Plus you can get the strong dried plum smell from the bottle once you open it! Taste is a lot more smoother, fruitier. Other than that you still can get the smell and taste of normal Jameson. Not bad for a Jameson

Decent whiskey but it's honestly only a good value if you get it on sale. Black Barrel is a step up. That all being said I enjoy it but there are bargain whiskeys out there that taste just as good. IMHO.

Agreed with others here that it is a nice step up from the regular Jameson, a bit smoother and very easy to drink. I consider regular Jameo as a 3 star so giving this 4 as I feel its def an improvement.