The third installment in the review series of whisky from Dublin’s lost distilleries features Bow Street Distillery again. This John Jameson & Son 12 Years Old was produced in the late 1940s and early 1950s. What a treat to even have the chance to taste this, regardless of how much I like it or not.
It is a product of Bow Street Distillery, about which I’ve written in this earlier post. This classic single pot still whiskey has a neat little tagline: ‘Not a drop is sold till it’s twelve years old’.
John Jameson & Son 12 Years Old (43%, Bow Street Distillery, 1960s)
Nose: Lovely fruity (freshly cut red apples, stewed pears, nectarines and limes) with a good amount of candle wax, and also cinnamon buns, ginger and black pepper. A whiff of shoe polish and gasoline.
Taste: Oily and thick. Plenty of sweet (dried) fruits, mandarines and candied lemons. Somewhat oak-y, slightly drying and with a spicy edge. And of course, cough syrup.
Finish: Lingering on fruit, with a hint of cinnamon near the end.
Rating: 89
The fruitiness is what makes this John Jameson & Son 12 Years Old stand out. The industrial notes give it an extra layer. A whiskey to savour.
Photo: whisky-onlineauctions.com
