Jameson 18 Year Old Limited Reserve Review

Take some Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey, distilled at Midleton, put it into some ex-bourbon and ex-sherry casks. Take some Single Grain Irish Whiskey, also distilled at Midleton, and put it into some ex-Bourbon casks. Then, after letting them age for a minimum of 18 years, blend them together and finish them in first-fill ex-Bourbon casks. The end result of that effort is the Jameson 18 Year Old Limited Reserve.

Bottled at 40% and chill filtered this was second only to the Midleton Very Rare until recently when the cask strength 18 showed up. Now, it feels like the once grand whiskey has dropped a peg. And with the Bow Street being a now, yearly release, it does make me wonder... why even keep this one around? I'm probably not the only one wondering this, but while it's here, we'll give it a sniff and a taste in the Irish Whiskey review below.

Jameson 18 Year Old Limited Reserve Review: Details and Tasting Notes

Matured for 18 years in hand-selected oak casks from Europe and America, this rare whiskey is finished in first-fill bourbon barrels. This rite of passage introduces subtle traces of vanilla to an exceptionally balanced, mellow whiskey with a lingering finale of wood, spice and toffee. An elder statesman of our portfolio, each bottle of this unique whiskey is individually numbered.

Jameson 18 Year Old Limited Reserve Review: Details (price, mash bill, cask type, ABV, etc.)

Region: Ireland

Distiller: Midleton (Jameson)
Blend: Irish Single Pot Still and Irish Single Grain Whiskeys
Cask: ex-Bourbon, ex-Sherry & First-Fill ex-Bourbon
Age: NAS (3+ years)
ABV: 40%

Price: $140

Jameson 18 Year Old Limited Reserve Review: Tasting Notes

NOSE
Caramel, sherry, coconut, citrus, spice, nuts, oak, vanilla, banana and a touch of copper.

PALATE
Caramel, dark sweets, coconut, citrus, graham, roasted malt, banana and nuts with a bit of spice, copper, ash and dried orchard fruit.

FINISH
Medium -> Nuts, toffee, spice, banana and ash.

BALANCE, BODY & FEEL
Good sense of balance overall, medium body and a warm, but watery, feel.

Jameson 18 Year Old Limited Reserve Review: Overall and Score

This is a good blended Irish Whiskey. Plenty of sweet notes (sherry and dark sweets), earthy notes (roasted and copper) and fruity notes (orchard and banana) to keep things even and interesting. But I wish there was something more to it... I wish it was a bit more substantive.

The aroma is light and at times feels like it's missing something, like it's just not fully there. The palate seems to overcorrect and come in with barrage of flavors that are pleasant, easy to handle and feel well balanced - it's the best part of this whiskey by far. The finish starts nice but fades out to nothing too quickly.

Jameson 18 Year Old Limited Reserve is a good whiskey. It feels a bit like something is missing, but there's nothing to truly dislike about it; enjoyable from start to finish.

SCORE: 86/100 (B)