A very handsome package landed on my desk in work recently. There was no shortage of volunteers to ‘help’ me with it. Inside, there was a bottle of Jameson’s Irish Whiskey Caskmates IPA edition nestled next to a can of Franciscan Well’s Chieftain IPA.
You may be familiar with Jameson’s Caskmates Stout Edition which was aged in Franciscan Well Stout casks. I was given a bottle as a Christmas present and I enjoyed every drop.
A ‘boiler maker’ is when you have a whiskey with your beer. So that’s exactly what I did. The whiskey has a lovely floral aroma. The sweet maltiness of the beer definitely carried over into the whiskey. And the citrus fruity notes from the hops are also apparent. The pair went down very nicely indeed on a wintry afternoon. I would like to try the return legs of both of these Caskmates, that is to say Stout and IPA aged in Jameson barrels.
Speaking of which, a random encounter with an old friend led me to another Jameson beer combination. He said, ‘I’ve something at home that I think you’ll like!’, and he was right. New Zealand’s Garage Project aged their Rebel County Strong Ale in Jameson barrels. The resulting 13% beer is rich and tastes like Christmas pudding.
If you like the sound of the Jameson Caskmates IPA Edition you can pick it up in O’Brien’s stores nationwide, in a few Dublin and Cork pubs and of course the Jameson distillery. Sláinte!