Triple Distilled Irish Whiskey
This is it, my journey as a whiskey enthusiast starts right now, and hopefully, this will bring me closer to my dream. The dream is to become a whiskey sommelier and to make my own whiskey one day. Enough of my imagination and some “melo” stuff. We are here to enjoy some whiskey and learn about whiskey in general.
I thought long and hard about what whiskey I should taste first. The idea came to me in the shower, a bit strange, but this blog is based on honesty.
Before we jump in I should mention that my taste or opinion might not add up with yours but this is fine, because everyone has different taste palates and memories. I will talk about this in our next blog because it’s a whole other world. What I’m trying to say is that everyone can have their own opinion. No need to judge. Like I always say “whiskey without lack of agreement isn’t rich”.
Jameson! I’m going to talk about Jameson. Why, because of two things. First of all, I must say that this is a legend in the Irish whiskey industry. Founded in 1780, they are still going strong to this day. Jameson was among the two whiskeys (Bushmills and Jameson) that had kept their production going when the Irish whiskey economy went through a rough patch in 1970. Secondly, it is certainly a highly under-rated whiskey. I think people see the price, and they see it as a negative thing. Like the price tells you how great the whisky is going to be. Let me tell you! Whiskey’s price doesn’t tell you the quality of the spirit. The quality depends on so many other factors. So let’s find out how good Jameson really is.
I am going to use the Glencairn Whiskey glass for the tasting, and nothing else. The spirit is young and wants nothing more than to show us its true worth. My tasting time is just before dinner. The idea behind this is that I should spice it up with food. I have always enjoyed the thought of mixing my spirit with food. This way, I can create an even stronger bond with the whiskey. Tip one before you start tasting, make sure you are not in a hurry. You will not concentrate fully when you always pay attention to the time. Tip two, consider taking a whiskey sip before the tasting begins to scare off your impatience. Do not think, smell or anything while you do it. Now set everything right so that nothing can disrupt your flow and buckle up.
I always start by looking at the colour of the whiskey. When we place the glass with Jameson in it towards the light, we should see that the colour is “Golden Strew”. A very beautiful colour for an Irish whiskey. You can’t deny that. The nose reminds me of an oak forest with some citrus notes on the side. When the whiskey hits your taste buds… wow! Without tasting it, you can not believe that Jameson whiskey is so smooth and elegant. The feeling in your mouth is soothing and pleasant, with the taste of honey mixed with vanilla and almond making it even better. The finish is so silky you can almost let it run down your throat.
Now let us make the experience even greater by blending food with whiskey. So I consider Jameson Whiskey to be a light whiskey based on taste and how it feels in my mouth. That is why I chose to include some creamy carbonara pasta. With light whiskey, you should mix it with either pasta or fish. Light food equals light whiskey. Let me tell you that, after you have had your pasta, the whiskey sip in the middle is so pleasant. They both compliment each other with some warm words, making the moment even more tasteful than it has been.
With your favourite music in the background, it doesn’t get any better than that in terms of tasting whiskey. But if we want to finish the tasting with something sweeter, it is a good thing to get some chocolate. Trust me, the combination of whiskey and chocolate can bring something truly unique to your evening. Whenever I enjoy my glass of Jameson whiskey I prefer to have caramel flavoured dark chocolate (50% cocoa). Because this might sound a little unheard-of, I am going to tell you how I am tasting them together. Take a sip and spread your whiskey around your mouth. After you take a bite off your chocolate bar, leave a little whiskey in your mouth so that you do not lose the taste of whiskey. Otherwise, the flavour of chocolate will smother your whiskey. Let them both meet one another in your mouth, and then you can begin to feel the miracle that I am referring to. If you do not like caramel, then I suggest that you have some coffee flavoured chocolate next to your whiskey.
That is it, my blog’s first tasting is completed. I hope you enjoyed reading this post as much as I enjoyed my experience of writing about the famous Jameson Irish whiskey. If you have a suggestion about what whiskey I should taste next, please leave a comment below.
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