Jameson The Blender's Dog

Score: 13/23 Nose: It has an oily aroma with some orange, a touch of apple, and a faint hint of apricot. Beyond that, there isn't much happening. Palate: It's oily and seems young. It's spicy and somewhat floral, reminiscent of rye, with a bit of sugary sweetness and some minerality. I detect a dash of pear or something within the floral sweetness. There's some of the orange present, but not a lot. There's some harshness here, but it's not overwhelming. There's actually a decent amount of subtle complexity, but it's merely adequate and doesn't compensate for how young and otherwise lacking it is. The harshness is truly quite strong. Finish: The sweet minerality, pear, and a sort of jasmine floral flavor linger, along with some vague notes of spices and an unreasonably (though perhaps not unexpectedly for a grain whiskey) large amount of harshness. - Conclusion - This is a grain whiskey. It tastes like a grain whiskey. Maybe it's not as young as it tastes, but I can't be sure. I'd likely rank this above Jameson Distiller's Safe, but below Jameson Cooper's Croze. None of the three reach the quality of Redbreast 12 Cask Strength. This isn't bad, but it does seem quite in the mediocre range. Considering the oiliness, I thought that Sir Edward's 12 would be a fair comparison. Side-by-side, Sir Edward's is smoother and richer, but perhaps a bit more muddled and sulfuric. This possesses more subtle complexity, but it's also lighter with more of an alcohol flavor and more harshness. The ease of accessibility of Sir Edward's makes it a strong contender in this comparison. Considering how this compares to Sir Edward's, I think I could rate this as low as a 10. To some extent, this being a light Irish grain whiskey meant that it would just never be my preference, but even looking at metrics I know others will use, I don't like this. I'd take this over regular Jameson because the profile is more interesting here, but I think I recall Jameson being a smoother product as well, so they're closer than I expected. Considering the light, floral, caramel nature, I find myself wanting to compare this with Ancient Age as well. Again, the qualities are surprisingly close. I would place this above regular Ancient Age, but it's not tremendously higher. They're actually very close in quality. I want to give this a higher rating, but I keep trying things that I gave middling or lower scores in the past and thinking "huh, these are pretty close in quality". I was for a while thinking that this could be as low as a 10, but now I'm thinking that even an 11 would be too low. I'm leaning toward a 13, but this could be a 12 due to the harshness. A 14 is probably not going to happen. I'm settling on a 13. A 12 is a solid possibility though.

This is the second in the U.S. of the three Whiskey Makers Series releases. It was bound to be a bit of a disappointment after the incredible beauty of the one before it, The Cooper's Croze. That previous bottling was almost a five-star whiskey to me, and this one is a strong four. That's certainly not terrible, as 4/5 is quite good. However, it doesn't have the energy and amazing quality of Cooper's Croze. The exciting, lively mix of wood influences is absent. Now, the focus is on the blender, who seems more interested in making... well, a blended Irish whiskey. It's definitely a *quality* Irish blend, with a lot of pure pot still giving it a deep, spicy fruit flavor. Still, it misses some of the unique character of the earlier bottling in the series. If we did a blind taste test with this and some other blends high in pot still, I'm not sure I could identify this one right away. It's a respectable drink by itself, deep and fruity with pleasant spice and vanilla notes, but for the cost, I would want a bit more flair.

It's smooth and exceptionally easy to drink, offering a pleasant fruity and sweet flavor profile. While it doesn't present much of a challenge, sometimes a straightforward, refreshing spirit that goes down easily is exactly what's desired. This sentiment doesn't arise often for me, but when it does, this particular whiskey fits the bill perfectly. I'm fortunate to have received it as a gift; it fills a previously unmet niche in my collection.

Nose: sweet vanilla, warming spices and fruit. Apple. Some alcohol sting. Biscuit. Palate: begins soft, then spices, sweet vanilla Finish: sweetness, spices. A little dry from oak. With water: more agreeable for me. Nose is unchanged, without alcohol notes. Palate and finish much smoother, less spicy, nutty. But the aftertaste is very faint.

A very smooth and easy-to-drink whiskey. I'm not usually fond of Irish whiskeys because their triple distillation process, in my opinion, removes the character. Even though the nose and taste are minimal, the finish is very long with notes of oak and baked bread. I still have a wonderful taste sensation minutes later.

The Jameson Distiller's Series second offering, Jameson Blenders Dog, doesn't quite hit the mark. While the expected characteristics of a quality Irish single pot still spirit are there, an intrusive bitterness at the finish spoils the experience. It's still a respectable Irish Whisky, just not its finest expression.