Jameson Relaunches Crested Whiskey To International Audience

The original Jameson Crested Ten was a blended whiskey in the Jameson range that enjoyed a cult status due to its superb quality coupled with its scarcity outside of Ireland. The first Crested release was way back in 1963 and was the first whiskey to be bottled by Jameson as opposed to them selling it to bonders. Jameson have now decided to drop the confusing word Ten from the title (it wasn’t ten years old) and have re-branded it to just Jamesons Crested with the relaunch to be distributed internationally. We still have a few bottles left with the old branding which you can still buy here at the time of writing. Jameson Crested has a higher amount of single pot still whiskey in the blend compared to most other Jameson expressions and is rumoured to be up to 60% of the whiskey with the other 40% being made up of Irish single grain whiskey.  This is aged longer than the regular Jameson blend and has a higher proportion of ex-sherry cask matured whiskey included as well as some liquid aged in ex-bourbon barrels. Jameson is the biggest selling Irish whiskey brand in the world with over 30 million bottles sold every year and it's currently made at the Midleton distillery in County Cork.  This was built in 1975 to replace the old Bow Street distillery in Dublin, which is now the brand's visitor centre.  This was founded by John Jameson in 1780 but was no longer able to keep up with increased consumer demand. The recently expanded Midleton distillery makes both single grain and single pot still whiskeys and the combined capacity is a staggering 64 million litres per year.  The whiskey is used to produce Jameson plus popular Irish brands such as Green Spot, Midleton, Paddy, Powers and Redbreast.

Jamesons Crested – 40% 70cl

The colour is a vibrant gold and the nose is full of gorgeous sweet and fruity aromas like honey, vanilla and stewed fruits (especially pears and peaches).  Further notes of cereals, cinnamon, ginger and apricot are also present. The palate feels creamy and soft, almost buttery, and coats the mouth nicely.  The viscous nature seems to exaggerate the notes experienced on the nose, especially the sweet and fruity ones.  There is a distinct honey-like characteristic that continues as other notes develop along with a sherry sweetness from those barrels. Vanilla is also very prominent and this tends towards vanilla custard with time.  These are complimented by a juicy stewed fruitiness with peach and apricot to the fore.  The combination is superb, especially once some warming wood spices and ginger come to the fore. There is a late hint of white chocolate that adds to the creaminess and sweetness. The finish is luscious with the sweet fruitiness and the vanilla custard and apricot notes lingering for ages.  As they fade, the cereals and wood spices become increasing influential and add a pleasing depth and warmth. Jameson Crested is a lovely whiskey and a definite step up in quality from the regular expression that makes it worth spending a few extra pounds. Since the relaunch it will be a lot easier to source so now there is no better time to grab a bottle and try it. You can buy Jamesons Crested here.