This was one of the samples we had on our guided tasting with Jamison’s Irish Whiskey. It was by far the youngest and lightest in colour compared to everything else we had this evening. Distillers safe is a tribute to Jamison’s head distiller Brian Nation, and the tool of his craft, which is a spirit safe. You can find out what a spirit safe is here. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spirit_safe
When you taste whiskey that has matured in casks, it really is something. You have the flavour of an alternate liquid (usually sherry or bourbon) that seasoned the barrel. The barrel itself is either European or American oak, and than it is toasted to varying levels. All of these combine to overwhelm the senses when that bottle is uncorked and pored into a glass. The aroma, the mouth feel, the smoothness and flavour all work in harmony and balance. All of this was pre conceived years, if not decades before coming to this single moment of fruition. Distillers safe had some of these characteristics, an amazing feat considering it is only 4 years old, and just incase your wondering, it takes 3 years to officially become whiskey.
The nose on this was fruity and sweet. I could detect grapefruit, among the fruits, and should be noted was extremely light in colour. The palate was light, silky, zesty, and finished quickly. Of all the tasters Jameson’s brought with them, this one was my least favourite. I found this to be to light in every aspect. Light on the nose, light on the taste, and light on the finish. Nothing surprised me during this experience, It tasted exactly how it smelled, and finished with a quiet whisper.
To me, good whiskey needs a balance that I did not find here. I do recommend trying this one as I find it interesting that being only 4 years old to have the characteristics it did. I’m sure much if not all of those came from the ingredients that Brian decided to distil. Jameson’s line of whiskeys pair well with pickles or anything salty, as would be the case with this. I would also make my own recommendation and pair this with a zesty shrimp salad, arugula, green onion, garlic, lime, cilantro, and kimchi, would balance the sweet and the salty to pair nicely.
Although this was not my favourite, it is by far not the worst I have ever tried. Brian should be commended for making something so unique out of something so young. His skill as a distiller shines in this bottle. I will skip this one for my personal collection, but if you ever have a chance to try this, don’t pass this one up.