Jameson Bow Street 18 Years
Cask Strength Irish Whiskey
55.3% ABV
$170-$190
Website
What the Distillery Says
A special place in our hearts required a whiskey to match.
Jameson Bow Street 18 Years is a special blend of rare pot still and grain Irish whiskeys produced at the Midleton distillery. After ageing for almost two decades, these whiskeys are married together and spend their final finishing period in our original home, at the Jameson Distillery Bow Street in Dublin.
Launched in 2018, this whiskey is our rarest release and is bottled once per year, at cask strength.
Nose: Rich wood-driven influence with deep toffee notes and spice.
Taste: Toffee and oak remain consistent with hints of leather and vanilla along with a subtle sherry nuttiness creating depth and complexity.
Finish: Long and full with the sweet toffee notes slowly fading while the toasted oak and spice linger throughout until the very end.
What Gary Says
Nose: Vanilla, butterscotch, toffee, angel food cake, soft oak, honey, almonds, floral, bit of leather and milk chocolate.
Palate: Toffee, honey, oak, sherry notes of raisins, milk chocolate, caramel, spicy with clove and nutmeg.
Finish: Moderately long, nutty with caramel and spices.
Comments: The grain component in this blend shines through. Water thickens this nicely, and brings out more malty grain notes (but don’t get me wrong – it doesn’t come across as ‘young’) and tamps some of the spiciness. I liked this one more each time I went back to sample it. Not sure I like it enough to shell out the coin (although I still kinda regret not buying a cask strength Jameson when visiting their visitor center in Dublin; this really does shine at the higher ABV).