John Jameson 12 Years Old bow street distillery

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

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