Product of: Ireland (Eire)

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Vintage Reserve is a blend designed to showcase the effects maturation using fortified wine casks other than sherry. Each vintage changes as different batches of Midleton's oldest and rarest casks are blended to make each release.

The 2007 bottling was based around a small parcel of pot still whiskey aged in port wine seasoned cacks and this was the first time port has manifested itself in Jameson. This was blended with other old pot still and grain whiskies aged in refill ex-bourbon barrels.

Billy Leighton, Jameson's Master Blender, describes says "The port really comes across in combination with the older grain. The old grain has a character all of its own but the two combine to give really fleshy fruit, I described it as plums, maybe peaches an element of peaches. It really takes me back to my great-grandmothers back garden where she had a plum tree in the garden and we used to go and pick the plums, take a bite out of them. To me that's what you get real fleshy succulence."

Review and Tasting

Sampled on 30/12/2010

Appearance:

(Bottle No. 010330) Clear, bright rose gold.

Aroma:

A fruity vanillin nose with earthy grape, liquorice, lavender, sweet Virginia tobacco, cherry (stones), gala melon, resin sap and salty leather aromas.

Taste:

Huge rich fruity, salty-smoky, meaty, leathery palate with barley, grapy notes, vanillin, sweet crispy bacon and lavender favours.

Aftertaste:

Liquorice emerges on the long linseed influenced finish with a subtle smoked apple, cinnamon spice and crispy pie. Yummm.