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| Type | Irish Whiskey |
|---|---|
| Proof | 80 |
| Manufacturer | Irish Distillers |
| Country of origin | Cork (originally Dublin), Ireland |
| Introduced | 1780 |
| Variants | Crested Ten, 12 Year Old, 18 Year Old, Gold |
| Related products | Paddy, Powers, Tullamore Dew |
Jameson is a single-distillery Irish whiskey. The brand is today owned by the French beverage conglomerate Pernod Ricard. Unlike other blends where several whiskeys from either other distilleries or the open market are combined together to reduce costs, the Jameson distilling tradition has always insisted upon producing every component of their whiskey "from grain to glass." Jameson is similar in its adherence to the single distillery principle to the single malt tradition, but Jameson combines malted barley with unmalted or "green" barley. The most famous component within Jameson is the legendary "Pure Pot Still" component unique to Irish whiskey distilling tradition.
The company was established in 1780 when John Jameson established the Bow Street Distillery in Dublin. Originally one of the six main Dublin Whiskeys, Jameson it is now distilled in Cork, although vatting still takes place in Dublin. With annual sales of over 31 million bottles, Jameson is by far the best selling Irish whiskey in the world, as it has been internationally since the early 1800's when John Jameson along with his son (also named John) was producing over a million gallons annually.1
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Company history
When John Jameson acquired the Bow Street Distillery in 1780 it was producing about 30,000 gallons annually. By the turn of the century it was the second largest producer in Ireland and one of the largest in the world producing a million gallons annually. Dublin at the time was the epicentre of world whiskey production. It was the second most popular spirit in the world after rum, and internationally Jameson had, by 1805, become the world's number one whiskey. Today Jameson is the third largest Single Distillery Whiskey in the world. Historical events, for a time, set the company back. The temperance movement in Ireland had an enormous impact domestically but the two key events that affected Jameson internationally were the Irish war of Independence and subsequent trade war with the British which denied Jameson the export markets of the Commonwealth, and shortly thereafter, the introduction of prohibition in America. While Scottish brands could easily slip across the Canadian border, Jameson was excluded from its biggest market for many years. It was also a fact that the introduction of basic grain whiskey production using column stills by the Scottish blenders in the mid 1800's enabled them to produce vast amounts of almost neutral flavoured components for blending with some malt whiskey. This enabled them to create low cost blends that the Irish, still using the original Pure Pot Still technique could not compete with. This differing opinion of what a true whiskey consisted of culminated in a legal enquiry in 1908. It was a huge turning point in the history of whiskey. The Scottish blenders won the case and the blend became recognised in law as being whiskey. The Irish in general and Jameson in particular stubbornly continued with the traditional Pure Pot Still production process for many years and, to this day, a large proportion of Jameson is still composed of Pure Pot Still component. Jameson also produces a special limited edition Pure Pot Still Whiskey, Jameson Redbreast to celebrate the ancient Irish whiskey making craft.
The Cork Distillers company joined forces with their rivals John Jameson and John Powers to form the Irish Distillers Group in 1966. The new Midleton distillery built by Irish Distillers now produces most of the Irish whiskey sold in Ireland. The new facility adjoins the old one, which is now a tourist attraction.
The Jameson brand was acquired by French drinks conglomerate Pernod Ricard in 1988, when it bought Irish Distillers.
Brands
As well as Jameson Original, some other whiskeys are marketed under the Jameson name. These are:
- Crested Ten
- Jameson 12 Year Old Special Reserve (Formerly known as Jameson 1780)
- Jameson 12 Year Old Distillery Reserve. Only sold in Dublin's Jameson old distillery "jameson visitor center". Retrieved on 2008-01-02.
- Jameson Gold Reserve (the only expression of Jameson that uses virgin American oak).
- Jameson 18 Year Old Limited Reserve
- Jameson Rarest Vintage Reserve (Jameson's oldest and rarest components).
- Jameson Signature Reserve.
- Middleton Very Rare 80 Proof
Making Irish whiskey
Jameson Irish whiskey is produced from a mixture of malted and unmalted or "green" Irish barley, all sourced from within a fifty mile radius around the distillery in Cork. The barley is dried in a closed kiln fired by clean-burning anthracite coal to preserve its flavour. Like most Irish whiskey, Jameson is triple distilled for optimum smoothness. The philosophy is balance, ensuring that no one flavour element overpowers another.
Recent milestones
- 1995: Sales of Jameson topped 10 million bottles, helping Jameson into the Top 100 Spirit Brands by value.
- 1996: Sales reach 1 million cases and Jameson is named the fastest growing spirit brand in the world.
- 2004: Jameson is named the World's fastest growing whiskey brand.
- 2006: Jameson sales reach 2 million cases.
- June 2008: Jameson sales reach 2.6 million cases
See also
References
- ^ "Irish Distillers". Retrieved on 2007-02-13.