When it comes to the best-selling whiskey brands, Jameson ranks in the top three — only slightly behind Jim Beam in global sales. (Jack Daniel’s is the world’s best-selling whiskey by a solid margin.) That makes Jameson is the best-selling Irish whiskey in the world, and its legion of fans are every bit as vocal as those of Jim and Jack.
Jameson has nine core bottles available on the U.S. market. The beauty of the brand is that these are all easy to source nation-wide. They’re liquor store stalwarts, available on most shelves. They’re also all pretty dang affordable for imported whiskeys. The prices for these expressions mostly range from $30 to $70, with only one ringing in over $100.
We didn’t really have to consider price on this list — the bell curve here is pretty tight. So we stuck solely to flavor. Using that metric, there was a clear winner. Find out what it was below!
9. Jameson Cold Brew
ABV: 30%
Average Price: $30
The Whiskey:
Jameson combined their classic triple-distilled Irish whiskey with cold brew coffee. The idea behind the expression is to help enhance the Irish Coffee experience. In this case, it’s a bit reversed. Instead of getting a small dose of Irish whiskey in a creamy coffee, you get a small dose of bitter cold brew in your whiskey.
Tasting Notes:
You’re hit with that cold brew up top with a nice bitterness, creamy vanilla, and mild nuttiness. The coffee really dominates the palate as hints of malt, nuts, vanilla, and slight oak peek through. The end is short, sweet, bitter, and warming.
Bottom Line:
Okay, this technically a “flavored” whiskey and maybe shouldn’t be on this list. But it is a new standard for the distiller and very enticing. Let’s put it this way, if this were a flavored whiskey ranking, it wouldn’t be anywhere near the last place.
8. Jameson Irish Whiskey
ABV: 40%
Average Price: $30
The Whiskey:
Jameson is the classic tripled distilled Irish blend. The juice is a blend of single pot and grain whiskey. Those age in oak — primarily ex-bourbon barrels with ex-sherry thrown in too — until they hit that classic sweet spot.
Tasting Notes:
Notes of citrus, malts, and spice lead the way. The sip leans into the spice, adding layers of vanilla, nuts, and a hint of sherry woodiness. The end is short, sweet, and warm.
Bottom Line:
This is a go-to workhorse whiskey. You can shoot it, mix it, or just sip it over rocks in a big ol’ tumbler. Though we have to say, the classic highball of ginger ale, Jameson, and lime is a crowd-pleaser.
7. Jameson Caskmates IPA Edition
ABV: 40%
Average Price: $33
The Whiskey:
This is a fairly new release, having only hit the U.S. market in 2017. The process behind the expression is well-used. Jameson sends out barrels to local craft brewers in the Cork area (around the Midleton Distillery, where Jameson is primarily made) for those brewers to age their IPAs. Once those beers are bottled, the barrels are sent back to Midleton and filled with Jameson Irish Whiskey.
The result is an IPA-tinged whiskey for beer lovers.
Tasting Notes:
That signature Jameson nuttiness is there and accentuated by floral and citrus notes that do remind you of hops. The citrus leans towards grapefruit with a rush of wildflowers next to light woodiness. The fruit picks up on the end with a nice dose of spice and maltiness as it quickly fades out.
Bottom Line:
There’s a thinness to this one that leaves us wanting, hence its place on the list. It’s a great gift for an IPA lover though.
6. Jameson Caskmates Stout Edition
ABV: 40%
Average Price: $33
The Whiskey:
Aging stout in whiskey barrels has a long tradition in brewing. Then there’s the whole tradition of stouts in Ireland that go hand-in-hand with drams of Irish whiskey. So aging Jameson in whiskey barrels that held stout beer makes a lot of sense.
In this case, the aged juice spends an extra six months in the stout barrels, giving the whiskey that little something extra.
Tasting Notes:
Apple orchards and bails of hay mingle with almonds, spice, chocolate, and a hint of lemon oil. Dark chocolate and a note of spicy wood dance on the palate as creamy sweetness balances everything out. The end brings about a note of butterscotch next to a milkier chocolate texture that quickly drops off.
Bottom Line:
This is a very easy drinking whiskey that has enough depth for making solid highballs with fizzy water and plenty of ice.
5. Jameson Black Barrel
ABV: 40%
Average Price: $40
The Whiskey:
This is a masterfully crafted blend of whiskey. The blend leans more towards the single pot still whiskeys than grain whiskey. The whiskeys are aged in a combination of ex-sherry and ex-bourbon for anywhere from eight to 16 years. Then, the juice is finished in an extra-charred ex-bourbon barrel, bringing about the “Black Barrel” moniker.
Tasting Notes:
Dark chocolate cut with creamy vanilla sits next to a rich and buttery toffee with a note of citrus. The palate amps up that vanilla with a dusting of Christmas spices and fatty nuts. The end is medium-length with the warm oak coming in late to say farewell.
Bottom Line:
This might be one of Jameson’s best cocktail mixers. In an old fashioned, Manhattan, whiskey sour, or boulevardier, this whiskey works really damn well. It also works as a sipper with plenty of ice in a pinch.
4. Jameson Cooper’s Croze
ABV: 43%
Average Price: $70
The Whiskey:
This is the first bottle from The Whiskey Makers Series, which dropped in 2016. The whiskey was developed by Jameson’s fifth-generation Head Cooper (barrel maker), Ger Buckley. The juice is aged new American oak, bourbon seasoned barrels, and Spanish sherry barrels before it’s married into the final product.
Tasting Notes:
Dried roses, ripe stonefruit, and soft cedar greet you. A hint of bourbon vanilla leads towards more of that fruit with a nutty, plummy, sherry-wood body that runs deep. The vanilla keeps on as a slight spiciness leads towards more charred oakiness and a hint more of the florals on the long end.
Bottom Line:
This is a hell-of-a-sip of Irish whiskey that really leans into the beauty of varied barrel aging. We’d recommend sipping this one with a little water to really let it bloom in the glass and then blossom across your senses.
3. Jameson Blender’s Dog
ABV: 43%
Average Price: $70
The Whiskey:
Sticking with The Whiskey Makers Series, this expression is the creation of the Head Blender, Billy Leighton. The blending of whiskeys is the point of this expression, with Leighton utilizing single pot and grain whiskeys aged in ex-bourbon and ex-sherry. The juice is then bottled at a slightly higher ABV and is non-chill filtered.
Tasting Notes:
You’re greeted with big notes of fruit leaning toward tropical fruits with an interesting counterpoint of almost jammy sherry and oak. Creamy notes and sharp spices mingle with the fruit in the taste as an almost vinous hint arrives with more oak. The end is deliberate and long-winded, with the sweetness of the fruit slowly fading out while spicy oak notes blip in and out.
Bottom Line:
This is just really interesting and versatile. It works wonders in a citrus-forward cocktail. It’s also bold enough to drink on its own with a little ice or water.
2. Jameson 18
ABV: 40%
Average Price: $150
The Whiskey:
This is more than just 18-year-old Jameson. It’s a masterful blend of hand-selected 18-year-old whiskeys aged in ex-bourbon and ex-sherry casks. That juice is then married and finished in first-fill bourbon casks until it’s just right.
Tasting Notes:
This has a bold-yet-dialed-in nose, with bourbon vanilla, soft cedar, orange oils, rich toffee, and subtle spice. The taste delivers on those promises and adds in leather, hazelnuts, and a dusting of dark chocolate (especially with a little water). The end is slow and combines the cedar, toffee, and spice in a wonderful balance.
Bottom Line:
This is a very solid sipper that needs little more than a rock or a few drops of water. Yes, it’s pricy. But we’d argue that it’s worth it.
1. Jameson Distiller’s Safe
ABV: 43%
Average Price: $75
The Whiskey:
The final drop from The Whiskey Makers Series highlighted the palate of Midleton’s now-former Master Distiller, Brian Nation. The juice in the bottle is all about the distiller’s prowess and knowing how to “cut” the whiskey coming off the stills. That is, the distiller knows the right section of the new distillate to use as it pours off the stills to make the absolute best final product. In this case, those prime cuts were combined, aged, and bottled to make this whiskey.
Tasting Notes:
Brown sugar malts dance with summer florals, savory herbs, decadent marzipan, bright grapefruit, and a hint of peppery spice. The palate holds onto that caramel maltiness and counterpoints it with cinnamon, orange oils, and more of that almond-forward marzipan. The end is just the right length, with a focus on the orange oils and malts as it fades.
Bottom Line:
This is just a fine bottle of booze all around. It’s also the last of its kind from former Head Distiller Brian Nation, meaning you should grab a bottle or two now — one for sipping with a little ice or water and one to stash away for later.