Jameson Black Barrel with Dan & Ryan

A slightly odd bottle this time. Some Jameson Black Barrel arrived in a covert container on the doorstep, a sample from somebody’s stash. Thanks, generous stranger!

Jameson is an Irish whiskey we’re familiar with, having tried the White Label and Select Reserve in the past. The Black Barrel this time refers to the charring of the barrels, lending to louder flavours and a darker hue. As you can see, it’s quite a deep shade for Irish whiskey.

“Black” versions of popular whiskies do tend to do well by us – namely Bushmills Black Bush, Black Grouse, Jim Beam Black… actually, the only Black branded whisky we didn’t like was Johnnie Walker Black. And JW is.. its own thing altogether. I’m not sure all of these reference charred barrels, so it may just be marketing power, but take from that what you will. Here’s what we thought:

nose
Dan – slight citrus with vanilla almonds and light wood
Simon – apples! cinnamon
Ryan – spice, orange

neat
Dan – super light, smooth, slight smoke, spice (cinnamon?) woody
Simon – maple fire
Ryan – instant burn, apple cinnamon

finish
Dan – numb
Simon – spice
Ryan – smooth

splash
Dan – lightly floral with hints of marzipan
Simon – balanced rum cider
Ryan – n/a

overall
Dan – 8.6/10
Simon – 7.9/10
Ryan – 6/10

Jameson Black Barrel – 40% 750ml – $49.95 – Ireland

Try it? Yes. Buy it? Yes.