From “grain to glass”: The Jameson whiskey distillery in Midleton

The John Jameson & Son Irish Whiskey company was born and raised in Dublin, but eventually the iconic whiskey maker outgrew its city home. In 1975, it moved the entire whiskey making operation to the green surroundings of Midleton, Co. Cork.

The Midleton Distillery now produces much of the Irish whiskey sold in Ireland under the Jameson, Midleton, Powers, Redbreast, Spot and Paddy labels. The new facility adjoins the Old Midleton Distillery, which is now home to the Jameson Experience Visitor Centre and the Irish Whiskey Academy. In 1988, the Jameson brand was acquired by the French drinks conglomerate Pernod Ricard.

We enjoyed a guided tour of the Old Midleton Distillery. We watched a film, visited key buildings on site (milling and malting, mashing and fermentation, distillation and aging) and enjoyed a premium whiskey tasting of “single pot stills.” The tour took about 1 1/2 hours.

The three key ingredients of Jameson Irish whiskey are barley (unmalted and malted), water and corn. Most of its suppliers are farmers from within 100 miles of Midleton.

In Ireland, the barley is dried in a closed kiln fired by natural gas (formerly coal). The workers wore platform shoes, so the hot floor wouldn’t burn their feet. (An early pair was on display on the tour). In Scotland, whisky distilleries fire the kiln with peat, adding a distinctive peat flavor.

Under head distiller Brian Nation, Jameson is known for a triple distillation process for its whiskeys, compared with two or one for Scotland or the United States. The added distillation is supposed to make the whiskey smoother while increasing the alcohol content.

The Irish whiskey is aged in oak barrels. Irish law states that a spirit must spend a minimum of three years but Jameson is aged longer. Jameson’s casks are imported from the United States and Spain, where they previously were used to age bourbon or fortified wine.

After the tour, we enjoyed a premium whiskey tasting: Redbreast Whiskey 12 year, Green Spot, Powers Irish Whiskey “John’s Lane” and Midleton Whiskey “Barry Crockett Legacy.” (Barry Crockett was a longtime master distiller at Jameson).

These are known as “single pot still” whiskeys,” which are unique to Ireland. They are made from a mash of malted and unmalted barley, which is then triple distilled in traditional copper pot stills.

The tasting notes on Redbreast 12, for example, were nose, a complex spicy and fruity aroma with toasted wood notes evident; taste, full flavored and complex; a balance of spicy creamy, fruity, sherry and toasted notes; and finish, “satisfyingly long.”

We have long enjoyed Redbreast, the standard bearer for single pot still Irish whiskey, so it was a pleasure to visit the distillery where it was made. A video is here: