The Whiskyphiles

Midleton

Midleton Distillery

Irish Distillers Midleton 2

History In 1966, John Power & Son, John Jameson & Son and the Cork Distillery Company (which owned the Old Midleton distillery) merged to form the Irish Distillers Group. The board of the newly formed company decided to close their existing distilleries and consolidate all production at a new facility. This was built at Midleton as it was the only existing site with room for expansion. In July 1975, production ended at The Old Jameson Distillery and began in the new one. The old distillery has since been turned into a visitors centre. Since 2010 the distillery has expanded vastly, with Irish Distillers investing over €200 million to double the capacity of the plant and build a new maturing facility in Dungourney, a nearby village.

The Whiskyphiles tasting notes:

Official Bottling
  • jameson-18-year-old-limited-reserve-whiskey Jameson 18 Year Old – Jameson 18 Year Old Limited Reserve (40%, OB, 2017) Category: Blended Pot Still and Grain Irish Whiskey Origin: Midleton Distillery Bottling: Irish Distillers, Jameson ABV: 40% Cost: £84.95 What they say: Jameson 18 Year Old Limited Reserve Matured for 18 years in hand-selected oak casks from Europe and America, this rare whiskey is finished in […]
  • Jameson 18 Years Old Bow Street Cask Strength – Jameson 18 Years Old Bow Street Cask Strength whiskey review: Spiced from the unmalted barley and rich and complex from both spirit and maturation, this is slightly removed from the smoothness of your usual Jameson blend and strikes me as something really quite memorable. 
  • jameson-black-barrel-whisky Jameson Black Barrel – Jameson Black Barrel (40%, OB, 2017) Category: Blended Pot Still and Grain Irish Whiskey Origin: Midleton Distillery Bottling: Irish Distillers, Jameson ABV: 40% Cost: £35.83 What they say: Jameson Black Barrel Twice charred for a good measure. Black Barrel is a triple distilled blend of rich pot still and grain whiskey that is matured in […]
  • jameson-whiskey-makers-series-blenders-dog-whiskey Jameson Blender’s Dog – Jameson Blender’s Dog (43%, OB, 2016) Category: Blended Pot Still and Grain Irish Whiskey Origin: Midleton Distillery Bottling: Irish Distillers, Jameson ABV: 43% Cost: £49.73 What they say: Jameson Blender’s Dog The Whiskey Makers Series. The secret behind our whiskey lies in the passion and dedication of our masterful craftsmen, our Head Distiller, Head Cooper […]
  • jameson-deconstructed-series-bold-whiskey Jameson Bold – Jameson Bold (40%, OB, 2017) Category: Blended Pot Still and Grain Irish Whiskey Origin: Midleton Distillery Bottling: Irish Distillers, Jameson ABV: 40% Cost: £57.65 What they say: Jameson Bold The Deconstructed Series is a stripped down study in taste, pulling apart and amplifying Jameson Original’s key characteristics — Pot Still Whiskey, Grain Whiskey and Cask […]
  • jameson-caskmates-whiskey Jameson Caskmates Stout Edition – Jameson Caskmates Stout (40%, OB, 2016) Category: Blended Pot Still and Grain Irish Whiskey Origin: Midleton Distillery Bottling: Irish Distillers, Jameson ABV: 40% Cost: £23.48 What they say: Jameson Caskmates Two heads are said to be better than one, and this whiskey adds serious weight to that argument. Emerging from a conversation between our head […]
  • jameson-whiskey-makers-series-coopers-croze-whiskey Jameson Cooper’s Croze – Jameson Cooper’s Croze (43%, OB, 2016) Category: Blended Pot Still and Grain Irish Whiskey Origin: Midleton Distillery Bottling: Irish Distillers, Jameson ABV: 43% Cost: £49.73 What they say: Jameson Cooper’s Croze The Whiskey Makers Series. The secret behind our whiskey lies in the passion and dedication of our masterful craftsmen, our Head Distiller, Head Cooper […]
  • jameson-crested-whiskey Jameson Crested – Jameson Crested (40%, OB, 2016) Category: Blended Pot Still and Grain Irish Whiskey Origin: Midleton Distillery Bottling: Irish Distillers, Jameson ABV: 40% Cost: £27.83 What they say: Jameson Crested Back in the day it was common practise to sell whiskey to bonders by the cask and leave the bottling to them. In theory, this arrangement […]
  • jameson-whiskey-makers-series-distillers-safe-whiskey Jameson Distiller’s Safe – Jameson Distiller’s Safe (43%, OB, 2016) Category: Blended Pot Still and Grain Irish Whiskey Origin: Midleton Distillery Bottling: Irish Distillers, Jameson, The Whisky Makers Series ABV: 43% Cost: £49.73 What they say: Jameson Distiller’s Safe The Whiskey Makers Series. The secret behind our whiskey lies in the passion and dedication of our masterful craftsmen, our […]
  • jameson-deconstructed-series-lively-whiskey Jameson Lively – Jameson Lively (40%, OB, 2017) Category: Blended Pot Still and Grain Irish Whiskey Origin: Midleton Distillery Bottling: Irish Distillers, Jameson ABV: 40% Cost: £57.65 What they say: Jameson Lively The Deconstructed Series is a stripped down study in taste, pulling apart and amplifying Jameson Original’s key characteristics — Pot Still Whiskey, Grain Whiskey and Cask […]
  • jamesons-irish-whiskey Jameson Original – Jameson Original (40%, OB, 2017) Category: Blended Pot Still and Grain Irish Whiskey Origin: Midleton Distillery Bottling: Jameson ABV: 40% Cost: £21.80 What they say: Jameson Original is a blend of pot still and fine grain whiskeys that is as versatile as it is smooth. Triple-distilled and aged for a minimum of 4 years, this […]
  • jameson-deconstructed-series-round-whiskey Jameson Round – Jameson Round (40%, OB, 2017) Category: Blended Pot Still and Grain Irish Whiskey Origin: Midleton Distillery Bottling: Irish Distillers, Jameson ABV: 40% Cost: £57.65 What they say: Jameson Round The Deconstructed Series is a stripped down study in taste, pulling apart and amplifying Jameson Original’s key characteristics — Pot Still Whiskey, Grain Whiskey and Cask […]
  • Jameson-Signature-Reserve Jameson Signature Reserve – Jameson Signature Reserve (40%, OB, 2017) Category: Blended Pot Still and Grain Irish Whiskey Origin: Midleton Distillery Bottling: Irish Distillers, Jameson ABV: 40% Cost: £40.99 What they say: Aged in American oak barrels and the finest sherry casks, Jameson Signature Reserve delivers our signature taste and smoothness with additional heather and honey sweetness. Exclusive to […]
  • AcaciaMM-776x1176 Method and Madness Acacia Wood – Method and Madness Acacia Wood whisky review: Sweet and nutty, less spicy than the cherry wood edition, but still quite thin bodied, definitely my preferred one of the two – I’d love to see and try more acacia wood matured whisky/whiskey. 82/100
  • Wild_CherryMM-776x1176 Method and Madness Wild Cherry Wood – Method and Madness Wild Cherry Wood whisky review: Unusually woody but thin, a little sappy and pine-like rather than oak wood. Spirit and sappy with fresh pepper and ginger. 81/100
  • Midleton Very Rare 2020 – My first introduction to Midleton Very Rare and very enjoyable it is. Combining elements of grain whiskey and pot still from Midleton distillery. The result is light and refreshing, fruity ditillate-led expression. 87/100
  • Redbreast 10YO 700ml SBC Transparent Background Redbreast 10 Years Old Cask Strength Batch 1 – Rich and full Pot Still whisky expression, great depth of distillate here lending generous ‘heavy’ character, leathery spice offset by sweet and fruity cask influences. I can only guess at the historic 10 year old profile but this new re-imagining of the 10 year old expression certainly fits in my mind to what it could have been. 87/100
  • redbreast-12-year-old-whiskey Redbreast 12 Years Old – Redbreast 12 Year Old Irish Pot Still Whiskey Review: A lovely mixture of fruit, sweet and spices. That Irish Pot Still unmalted barley spice and bite plus a little citric or acidic juice cuts through a rich and sweet sherry influence. Superb! 85/100
  • Redbreast-Dreamcask Redbreast 31 Years Old 1985 Dream Cask – An absolutely delicious dram, robustly fruity from the Oloroso sherry cask I was delighted to pick up some of the subtler spices and cereal elements of the original Pot Still whisky in here! 92/100
  • Redbreast 32 Years Old 1985 Dream Cask – Redbreast 32 Years Old 1985 Dream Cask whiskey review: Despite being only 1 year older, I found this much more woody and redolent of chocolate then the last time we sampled it. A lot of the tropical fruit elements were hidden behind a much earthier, darker chocolate and older wood. The really reminded me of some great red wines wherein the fruity black and elder berry notes have a distinct earthiness to them adding great body. A different experience but still a very, very good whiskey! 92/100
  • Yellow Spot 12 Years Old – Very much Pot still style, woody and spice driven familiar from unmalted barley. Plenty of yellow/stone fruits present in here despite the unusual cask combination used, I’d have expected something a little darker and drier like fruitcake, instead it is peached and cream. 84/100
independent BOTTLING
The Whisky Exchange
  • Redbreast 1999 Sherry Redbreast 1999 TWE Exclusive – Rich and robust, spiced Oloroso sherry fruits plenty of raisins served in a metallic copper bowl indicating both heavy sherry influence but good retention of pot still whisky character. 86/100