Now, it’s important to note that the Scottish Reformation occurred in 1560, so odds are in favor of the founder of the Jameson distillery, being Scottish, was a damn Protestant.īushmills, on the other hand, was officially licensed in 1608 by King James I (of Bible fame) and despite of its location deep in the heart of Protestant country (and this next bit is straight from my local Bushmills rep, so take it or leave it) has a Catholic as a master distiller. Jameson was pretty much founded in 1780 when John Jameson – a Scottish guy – purchased the Bow Street Distillery, which at the time was one of the biggest distilleries in Ireland. But that’s merely based on geography: Bushmills is from Northern Ireland (a predominantly Protestant region) and Jameson is from Cork – Catholic country. The widely-accepted Irish-American version is that Jameson is Catholic whiskey and Bushmills is Protestant whiskey. They certainly both give The Glenlivet 12, the ubiquitous ‘inexpensive’ single-malt, a run for its money.īushmills is not protestant whiskey. Both are excellent neat or with a splash of water, and I suppose in a pinch you could mix them for cocktails. Powers, however, has more interesting and lip-smacking flavors. In terms of quality, Jameson wins by virtue of its smooth, crisp dryness against Powers’ rough edges. The finish starts small and grows, giving you loads of honey, graham cracker, butterscotch, and more green apple skins. A splash of water cuts through the body, without adding much in terms of flavor, except perhaps a few hints of fruit blossoms or mown grass. There is also a predominant dryness that is unfortunately similar to bottom-shelf vodka, which detracts from the sweet cereal and spice flavors. The body is quite full, with a slightly oily quality.
One the palate you get a wash of melted butter and shortbread, then quite a lot of dryness, which finally subsides with cinnamon, clove, toffee and green apple skins. A splash of water opens up some herbal, grassy notes, but they are indistinct. There is also an overtone of shoe polish and something greasy, like machine oil. There is also a little fruit, like a bit of blackberry jam or cherry pie filling. The nose is mellow, with upfront buttery caramel and bright honeyed cereal. Like Jameson, it is blended whiskey, some combination of pure pot-still whiskey with column-still grain whiskey (allegedly 70% pure pot still to 30% grain). It retails slightly cheaper than Jameson in the US, at $16 a bottle. Powers Gold Label is the best-selling Irish whiskey in its native Ireland. ScotchNoob™ Mark: Powers Gold Label 40% ABV A splash of water in the glass (but no ice!) improves the experience, and makes the flavors more apparent to both the nose and the tongue. This is no single-malt Scotch, but it is a pleasant and very drinkable whiskey with unexpectedly bright, available flavors, a smooth mouthfeel, and no “cringe” in the aftertaste. The finish is short, but complete with the same floral and bitter-fruit notes from the aroma. There is a firm body, but no coat-your-mouth viscosity.
The attack is expectedly dry, but a few seconds on the tongue reveals cereally sweetness, citrus peel, and tropical fruits like banana and kiwi. The nose is sharp, but with hints of vanilla, grape skins, and filtered apple juice. Jameson is considered to be the world’s best-selling Irish whiskey. The pure pot still component of the blend is also bottled alone and sold as Redbreast. It is triple-distilled and is actually a blend comprised of pure ( or single?!) pot still whiskey and a grain whiskey made from unmalted barley and other grains. By that I mean inexpensive, as this spirit is surprisingly complex, flavorful, and smooth for an $18 bottle of blended Irish whiskey. Both are less than $20 US per 750ml bottle and are widely available in the US. Today I explore two of the biggest names in blended Irish whiskey: Jameson and Powers Gold Label. While there are certainly some fine blends, definitely even a few that are better than your average single-malt, in general blends are popular because they are easy to drink, mix well, and are above all cheap. The simple truth is that inexpensive blends make up some 90% of the Scotch market (and an even larger percent of the Irish whiskey market). Furthermore, sometimes one might receive a visitor from out of town, and after one waxes poetic for 20 minutes about the delights of single-malt Scotch, this visitor may have the gall to ask for a whisky-and-soda… on ICE. That being said, some days the proverbial moths in the wallet might induce one to cut back on the single-malt budget and go in for something a little cheaper. I got started on single-malt Scotch and that has irrevocably spoiled me for anything distilled.
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