John Jameson 12 Years Old (Bow Street, 1970s)

The last but one review of my series of old bottlings of Irish whiskey, distilled in the pre-1975 era. Like the last review, this John Jameson 12 Years Old is not a single pot still distilled whiskey, instead it is a blend of pot still and grain whiskey

This Jameson was distilled at Bow Street (read the first post in this series for a little more background), produced in the last active period of that distillery, and bottled in the late 1970s. Again, like on this previous John Jameson-bottling I’ve reviewed, this has a tagline: ‘Special Old Irish Whiskey, matured for not less than twelve years’.

John Jameson 12 Years Old (40%, Bow Street Distillery, 1970s)

Nose: Light with plenty of cereals, some rye, wheat, and faint orchard fruits, like ripe apples. A faint metallic edge, with a hint of plastic. It’s okay, but a bit flat.
Taste: A tad more outspoken, but not by much. Lots of similarities to the nose, without the metal, but a whiff of plastic remains. The pot still elements (dried fruit, cough syrup) are very subdued here.
Finish: Medium in length, grainy and (very) faint fruit.

Rating: 78

It’s perfectly average, which of course isn’t what I’d hoped for. On the other hand it isn’t that strange, since this was not exactly a high-end whiskey when it was still in production. Why would a little bit of bottle aging change that?

Photo: Whiskybase