This Jameson Caskmates Stout Edition is an interesting Irish Whiskey. It is made from reused barrels, which isn’t unusual, but what adds to the uniqueness is that the barrels are used to age Cork’s Franciscan Well Brewery stout before the Jameson goes in. This adds some very interesting notes of coffee, cocoa, and black licorice.
Caskmates Stout intrigued me and took a few sips for me to make sense of the mixture of flavors. The stout beer casks clearly impart a deepness that hides what I suspect to be a much cheaper whiskey. Is that a bad thing? Not really, but those deep flavors do end on a slightly bitter note that takes that nice mouth feel, and coffee/oak/cocoa, lose some of their magnificence. When you add in the cost I paid for this (which I hope i snot the normal price) – and there are better options at the price point, which costs this a few points on the final score.
All that being said, I did really enjoyed the Caskmates Stout, which earned it a 83/100. The sad part for me is that at $50 I’m not likely to buy another bottle, but if I see that anywhere in the $30’s and I’ll be buying two or three bottles.
Pros
- The nose is subtle, and for me was a tease, as the flavor is much richer than the nose.
- Lovely rich notes that end in a classic butterscotch Irish Whiskey finish.
- Easy sipper.
Cons:
- At the price I paid, there are better options.
- The aftertaste is just slightly bitter.
