Learn the ABCs of ‘liquid sunshine’ as Jameson Distillery on Tour reaches Manila for the first time
“Three things that the Irish and Filipino people have in common are our attitudes, humor, and love for whiskey,” says an Irish “tour guide.” Her nationality makes her claim more convincing.
The next best invention since fire, whiskey is among the most enjoyed spirits worldwide with its distinctive aromas and wide set of flavors like light and fruity with hints of vanilla. And yes, the example taste profile is that of a whiskey with an e, straight from its origin country, Ireland (and also American, like Jack Daniels). In the early 19th century, Scottish whisky was of such poor quality that the Irish decided to spell the word “whisky” with an e to differentiate their product.
There’s more to “liquid sunshine,” as playwright George Bernard Shaw describes whiskey, than meets the eye. For instance, there are plenty of health benefits from drinking the distilled beverage. With its abundance of antioxidants, whiskey boosts the body’s defense against heart disease, and also helps prevent cancer, justifying its Gaelic root term Uisge Beatha, which means “Water of Life.”
From Dublin to Lisbon, to Sandton, and New York, the award-winning Jameson Distillery on Tour has found its way for the first time to Asia, right in the heart of bustling Bonifacio Global City in Taguig. The tasting experience from Ireland sets up shop at the Fort Strip, now hosting lads until Jan 7 next year.
The multi-sensory tour, led by a knowledgeable brand ambassador, begins with a history lesson on Irish whiskey and on how the brand Jameson came to be.
Everything one needs to know about Jameson is in the bottle. The brand is named after its founder, Scotsman John Jameson, whose motto sine metu (Latin for “without fear”) defined his life.
Sharing the legacy with every single worker of Jameson, the bottom and the base of the neck of each whiskey bottle has a figure of a man carrying heavy barrels on his back, representing hard work.
The 242 years of heritage starts with John opening his first shop at Smithfield in Dublin, which at the time was only a secondary city in Ireland. Of John’s 16 children with his wife Margaret, his eldest son John Jameson II took over the business.
In the 1880s Jameson was producing one million gallons of whiskey per year or about 6.5 million bottles. Back then, Irish whiskey made up 70 percent of the entire whiskey production of the world.
Political and military turmoil in the form of two World Wars, however, got in the way of Irish whiskey’s growing success. In the 1960s, three of the four distillers that had survived the trying times—Powers, Cork Distillery Company, and Jameson—came together to form the Irish Distillers, sort of like the Avengers of Irish whiskey. Pre-existing distilleries closed in the 1970s, and production for all three transferred to the New Midleton Distillery in County Cork.
This storytelling session is followed by a crash course on the process of creation, distillation, and bottling of Jameson whiskey—a combination of science and art.
Jameson Whiskey is made by blending rich pot still whiskey from a mix of unmalted (raw with husk) and malted barley, together with the finest grain whiskey, both of which are distilled three times, adhering strictly to Irish tradition.
For the maturation, bourbon and cherry barrels, from America and Spain respectively, are used. A stringent law states that a spirit must spend a minimum of three years maturing on the island of Ireland to be considered Irish, although the length of time Jameson allows maturation isn’t the same for every cask. Because of evaporation, two percent of whiskey is lost yearly. Jameson’s people would imagine that angels are stealing from the barrels, leading them to call the lost whiskey the “Angel’s Share.” Finally, the whiskey is blended and bottled.
The last part of the tour is a tasting program, where participants are taught how to analyze, compare, and relish different kinds of whiskey.
Too much of anything is bad, but too much good whiskey is barely enough. —Mark Twain
First, you tip your glass at a 45-degree angle and roll it around to create a residual film on the inside of the vessel called “tears.” One can distinguish the body of the whiskey depending on how fast the tears fall from the side of the glass. Fast tears mean that the whiskey is light-bodied, while slow-moving tears indicate that the whiskey is full-bodied.
Hold your glass by the base or the stem and give it a gentle swirl. Agitating the whiskey opens up its aromas. Put your nose close to the opening of the glass and take a slow whiff while your mouth should slightly be parted or open, to fully appreciate the whiskey’s scent. On the nose, one could smell floral, herbal hops, and grapefruit citrus.
Sip on the whiskey and try to keep it in your mouth for five seconds. Try to chew and taste it. Avoid guzzling down the drink. The most important thing is to relax and just enjoy.
Jameson has a smooth, velvety texture, light citrusy, sweet herbal, delicate spicy tones, and a long finish.
Other activities like live barrel paintings, foosball, Giant Jenga, and many more are also in the tour repertoire. There’s a bar on the ground floor where one could partake of Jameson Ginger & Lime, the signature drink of the brand and a crowd favorite. Participants may also purchase a bottle with their names engraved on-site. Special edition shirts featuring a collaboration with local streetwear maven, Skoop, are also up for grabs.
Book your tickets at bit.ly//jdotmanila for ₱100 to ₱300. The tour is available from Wednesday to Sunday as early as 2 p.m.