Jameson Select Reserve

Posted by The Whiskey Notebook written by Mark Backhouse

Once small batch grain whiskey and pure pot still whiskey blend - hand picked barrel selection done once a year by the four masters - all made at one single single distillery - produced once a year - makes Jameson Select Reserve a remarkable handcrafted whiskey. Jameson Select Reserve is a "Rich & Luxurious" whiskey you most must try.

Jameson Select Reserve Small Batch Whiskey
(photo property of Mark Backhouse)

Jameson Select Reserve is an exciting addition to the Jameson Range and is an expression that is fuller and richer with a luxurious mouth feel and an incredibly long finish. Every aspect in making Jameson Select Reserve is hand selected and personally managed by the four master distillers at Irish Distillers (the four masters are: of Distillation, of Maturation, of Blending & of Whisky Science)

The first thing you will notice on the label is SMALL BATCH - this refers to the fact that this triple distilled Jameson Select Reserve is made once a year. The small batch grain whiskey is only made once a year because the grain still paused to make the grain whiskey used in Jameson Select Reserve - instead of other grains, Jameson Select Reserve uses barley exclusively in this process.

The masters then take this barley column spirit and blend it with the Jameson pure pot still whiskey also made especially for Jameson Select reserve. They allow the spirit to marry prior to filling into had selected casks set aside by the master of maturation and approved by each of the four masters.

Everything is done to produce an exceptional Jameson whiskey expression. What we have here then is a whiskey that is made at one single distillery - like a single malt - uses only barley - like a single malt - but made like Jameson. What you have then is a great whiskey - this is Jameson Select Reserve.

Jameson Select Reserve is a rare selection of triple distilled small batch 100& barley grain whiskey combined with a high proportion of triple distilled single Irish pure pot still whiskey which has been aged in both ex Oloroso Sherry casks and ex American white oak Bourbon casks

Small Batch verses Black Barrel
In the US it is Jameson Select Reserve Black Barrel as apposed to Jameson Select Reserve Small Batch as we have it in South Africa. There is no difference - Black Barrel refers to the fact that Jameson Select Reserve is aged in flame charred ex-bourbon barrels and toasted ex-sherry casks.

Visit: Jameson Select Reserve Black Barrel

NEW Jameson Select Reserve

One Small Batch Grain

and Potstill Blend.

One Hand Picked

Barrel Sellection.

One Single Distillery.

Once a Year.

Jameson Select Reserve is the newest expression from the Jameson Single Distillery, which has been hand selected by the *Four Jameson Masters to deliver an extremely rich and luxurious taste experience. A rare selection of small batch grain whiskey, not found in any other Jameson whiskey, combined with a high proportion of single Irish pot still whiskey aged up to 12 years is what makes the Select Reserve blend so bold and powerfully smooth.

The select grain whiskey triple distilled in small batch quantities is made on just one occasion each year and is put away to mature in the Jameson Single Distillery.

Oloroso sherry and bourbon oak casks are chosen by the Master Blender who personally selects and samples every single one. The casks he judges to be at their perfection are put aside and carefully blended together to present Jameson Select Reserve in a taste experience where the trademark Jameson notes of toasted wood, spice and vanilla can be found with unique creamy luscious touches of exotic fruits.

Tasting Characteristics:

Aroma: Rich and full, developing into the succulent sweetness of exotic fruits like nectarines, apricot and papaya.

Taste: A burst of rich flavours combine to produce a creamy, luscious taste experience. The special fruity sweetness from the grain remains consistent, while the waves of vanilla, toasted wood and spices roll through.

Finish: An incredibly long finish with fruit and wood spices lingering in perfect proportion delivering an extremely rich and luxurious taste experience.

* The Four Masters are: The Master Distiller - Barry Crockett, The Master Blender - Billy Leighton, The Master of Maturation - Brendan Monks and The Master of Whiskey Science - David Quinn.

Jameson Reserves

WHAT MAKES THESE WHISKEYS EXTRA SPECIAL?

When the 4 Masters come together to make the best that Jameson has to offer, 3 distinct criteria need to be met to ensure these whiskeys are worthy of the name Reserve…

HIGH POT STILL CONTENT

All whiskeys permitted to bear the Reserve name must firstly have a high pot still content, courtesy of the yeast fermented mash of malted and unmalted barley produced in traditional copper pot stills. This is where the Master of Whiskey Science and the Master Distiller’s attention to detail ensures that the distillates used for blending with other whiskeys have a characteristically rich, full bodied flavour.

LIMITED STOCKS

All our Reserve whiskeys are significantly aged and these are limited in stock. They are carefully managed in order to best utilise them and create truly extra special whiskeys, namely Jameson Reserves.

HAND PICKED CASKS

In addition to the unparalleled personal attention the Reserves enjoy throughout the entire production process, the final element that helps to compose a true Reserve whiskey is all about the casks and the distillates used. Jameson takes a lot of pride in ensuring that our cask quality is world class and that unlimited resources are available to ensure the finest casks are commissioned and selected for the individual whiskeys. Given the small quantity these Reserve whiskeys are produced in, a sub standard cask can be the undoing of all the expertise that has preceded this stage in their creation. Exhaustive steps are taken by the Master Blender and Master of Maturation to hand pick and sample each wooden cask to assess their suitability for blending, maturing and vatting whiskeys.

RESERVE PREMIUM

This is the critical factor in a balancing act that can add either ‘light’ and ‘shade’ in varying hues to the overall picture of the whiskey(s) profile. For example, with Jameson Gold Reserve, virgin oak barrels are used with certain distillates, as the fresher the barrel, the more the whiskey reacts with the wood itself, which helps develop a more robust, complex flavour. To moderate the effect the casks have on a whiskey, other distillates from second or third fill barrels may be married with this to temper the exuberance and mellow the taste, whilst oloroso casks will contribute a sweeter, sherried accent and finish. In the words of Jameson Master Blender, Billy Leighton, “The distillates and casks you leave out of a Reserve blend are almost as significant as those you put in.”

Together these 3 criteria exert a varying but essential influence depending on the type of whiskey being made, allowing it to develop into something that is more than the sum of its parts; a Jameson Reserve.


JAMESON . . . TOO SPECIAL TO RESERVE .

Like many of the finer things in life, the Jameson Reserves were created for one reason only… to be enjoyed! We believe that our Reserve whiskeys are very special indeed, although not too special to reserve just for formal occasions or events. Given the years it takes to distil, blend and mature these Jameson Reserves, life really is too short, so any opportunity to share them in the good company of friends or family should always be seen as a special occasion…

The enjoyment of Jameson Reserve Whiskeys is a threefold experience, where the subtleties of the flavour spectrum are revealed in the nuances of its nose, taste and finish… But what are these? Very simply these are three sensory stages that greatly enhance the appreciation and understanding of the differences between each of these Reserve whiskeys.

NOSE

Firstly, the ‘nose’ is the characteristic aroma that each Reserve releases and is best appreciated through a rounded glass with a tapering end that guides the aroma towards the top. Terms to describe the nose can vary from light to rich, woody, spicy and aromatic or mellow, to simple and complex. These individual traits become more pronounced with the addition of a little water, which brings the full bouquet of the spirit to the fore. As with all of the Reserves, their pot still character ensures the nose of each is rich and full bodied, whilst its colour or hue will suggest the types of cask, such as sherry, bourbon or port that they were matured in.

TASTE

As the first sip is held in the mouth, the numerous, acutely sensitive taste buds of the tongue differentiate the lavish taste profile of the whiskey. The tip of the tongue is where we detect sweetness and at the sides a more savoury flavour. As a rule, the finer the whiskey the more accents of flavour are awakened in the mouth as a whole, rather than specific areas of the tongue. ‘Taste’ is often described in terms of hints of sherry richness, spicy, nutty, vanilla, dark chocolate, woody, honeyed, oily and malty and all the Reserve whiskeys will stimulate the taste buds to enjoy a number of these flavours.

FINISH

Having savoured the nose and taste, the ‘finish’ refers to the more defined feeling of flavour that is left in the mouth and may be noticeably different from the initial sip. This is the finale and the encore, depending on whether the whiskey has a long, lingering finish or ends with a shorter more robust flavour. This finish or aftertaste may leave either a sweet, dry or smooth essence on the tongue. Once again the Reserves each have a finish of generous proportions and a lavish spectrum of bighearted flavours.