Midleton: A Five-Star Visit, Part 2
After a long delay from another project, we continue the story of the visit to the Midleton Distillery and the extraordinary opening of the 110-year-old bottle of Jameson Five Star.
A "Noble Experiment"
You'll remember from Part 1 that an impetus for our visit to Midleton was the analysis of the highly unusual bottle of Jameson procured by Leo Phelan, my Irish Whiskey Society colleague, the incoming IWS president and an astute collector of Irish whiskeys. Leo researched the origin of the whiskey extensively both before and after he purchased the bottle as part of a case lot.
The case of Jameson was discovered in the 1990s after being hidden underground at the Broadmoor Hotel in Colorado since about 1919. Spencer Penrose, a Philadelphia entrepreneur who made a fortune in mining, bought the hotel in 1916 to entertain wealthy guests. It was renowned for serving fine liquors. Penrose was undeterred by the start of the country's "Noble Experiment" with Prohibition beginning in 1919. He hid caches of wine and spirits in places including railcars and in a tunnel that likely led from the hotel to nearby brothels. That's where the 6-bottle crate was found.
The original case with the bottles wrapped in straw and paper bearing the name of the US importer. Some of the whiskey had evaporated over the decades but at least one was nearly full.
By the way, Penrose had a great habit that I have adopted. Whenever he opened a new bottle of liquor he wrote on the label where, when and with whom he opened it. To me, it's wisdom from the ages affirming my belief that whiskey drinking is far more about the people and the craic than the liquor itself.
CSI: Jameson
Leo's research made him reasonably certain that it was the genuine article but he contacted Irish Distillers Ltd. (IDL) -- the fine folks in Midleton -- to see if they could apply a little science to the matter. The Jameson Distillery team obliged and had Leo send a bottle of the Five Star for analysis by Jameson's Master of Whiskey Science David Quinn.
David's lab extracted a minute sample via a syringe inserted through the ancient cork and ran a spectrographic analysis. The Jameson team invited Leo and the rest of us down to receive the results over dinner at the Master Distiller's Cottage in Midleton.
The Master's Cottage at the Old Midleton Distillery
The "cottage" is the 22-room home -- and birthplace -- of Jameson's Master Distiller Barry Crockett. Before dinner, Leo summarized his research which included Penrose, the Broadmoor, the discovery, examination of the label and inks by a printing professional, and even pricing of the bottle from a 1915 mail order pricing guide that Leo found. The price -- $19.10 per 6-bottle case or the equivalent of $400/case or $68/bottle today -- confirmed that it was a premium 12- or 15-year-old whiskey in its time. That meant that the whiskey was distilled in Dublin around 1900. As Leo's brother Adrian noted, it might have been a whiskey that James Joyce and his contemporaries enjoyed.
IDL Project Director Brendan Buckley, Leo's brother Adrian and Distillery Operations Manager Liam O'Leary listen as Leo recounts his research into the history of the Jameson Five Star.
David's analysis also indicated that it was genuine, with its chemical composition confirming its "Jameson DNA." He also said that it had a strong or "heavy" pot still quality consistent with the whiskey-making style and preferences from the early 20th century. Jameson Master Blender Billy Leighton also contemplated in which types of casks the whiskey was aged and in what proportions it was blended.
That was the science. Now it was time for a little magic.
Legacy
We shifted to the dining room where Leo and David carefully opened this time capsule. David and the rest of us watched intently as Leo cut the lead seal and removed the dried cork.
It seemed to me that this was a moment worthy of the homage given to Shackleton's storied Scotch whisky found in Antarctica. Yes, it lacked the inspiring tale of adventure and survival. But this was extraordinary in its own right. We were opening a bit of history that was completing a 10,000-mile, 110-year journey in the presence of the successors to the people who created it. The first pour went to David, then to Jameson's Distillery Operations Manager Liam O'Leary, then Billy, then to each of us in the room.
David and Liam receiving the first pours of the whiskey created by their predecessors 110 years earlier
The full, rich nose and dark amber color instantly showed the pure pot still and sherry cask aging. It was what I'd called a "broad-shouldered" whiskey, bold but refined. The taste was remarkably smooth and complex with a flurry of sensations and associations that would shift and change so that it was hard to pin down to a few. The finish went on for ages. And with more exposure to the air the nose and taste evolved and morphed. Truly remarkable. You could also immediately understand how whiskey styles change over time. Today's market favors spirits lighter in color and taste. This was a whiskey not for casual drinking, but for savoring and for passing time with company.
Each course of the meal came with another sample of a whiskey in the Jameson line, bringing even more appreciation of the thought and effort that goes into defining and refining each brand. Toward the end of the evening, Billy Leighton produced an unlabeled bottle -- "Brand X" as we called it -- and sent the samples around the table. This was an entirely new creation known only to Billy. It had a lovely nose and taste reminiscent of a Green Spot pure pot still whiskey, leading Leo to guess that it might be a future 15-year-old issue of Green Spot. But Billy wasn't giving any clues to its origin or eventual branding.
A table full of glassware marking the end of a terrific evening.
Good Things Ahead
Between the openness of the distillery tour, the analysis of the Jameson Five Star, and the warm and generous hospitality, we came away with a much fuller sense of IDL's mission and place in the market. The team there seems genuinely committed to supporting and extending its existing brands with new releases, and to developing new whiskeys. There is a clear sense of purpose and a deep appreciation of the legacy contained in the brands. And there is excitement and energy coming from the growth of Irish whiskey overall and Jameson in particular.
Jameson recently surpassed the 3 million case mark in shipments which you can read more about in David Havelin's Irish Whiskey Notes. That's still small compared to Scotch shipments, but the numbers are growing. The success of Jameson is not only lifting the entire category it is the cash engine driving growth and new whiskey development at IDL. The company expects to double distillery capacity and is expanding warehouse space on adjacent land recently acquired for the purpose.
My overall takeaway from the visit is this: the green bottle with the iconic Jameson label is a defining emblem of Irish whiskey to a world market. But it stands for much more than that -- the team behind its making and marketing, the corporate resources and commitment behind IDL's whiskey and other spirits brands, the rebirth and growth of a market category that nearly disappeared 30 years ago, and the promise of new whiskeys to share with friends, family and colleagues in the years ahead.
A "Noble Experiment"
You'll remember from Part 1 that an impetus for our visit to Midleton was the analysis of the highly unusual bottle of Jameson procured by Leo Phelan, my Irish Whiskey Society colleague, the incoming IWS president and an astute collector of Irish whiskeys. Leo researched the origin of the whiskey extensively both before and after he purchased the bottle as part of a case lot.
The case of Jameson was discovered in the 1990s after being hidden underground at the Broadmoor Hotel in Colorado since about 1919. Spencer Penrose, a Philadelphia entrepreneur who made a fortune in mining, bought the hotel in 1916 to entertain wealthy guests. It was renowned for serving fine liquors. Penrose was undeterred by the start of the country's "Noble Experiment" with Prohibition beginning in 1919. He hid caches of wine and spirits in places including railcars and in a tunnel that likely led from the hotel to nearby brothels. That's where the 6-bottle crate was found.
The original case with the bottles wrapped in straw and paper bearing the name of the US importer. Some of the whiskey had evaporated over the decades but at least one was nearly full.
By the way, Penrose had a great habit that I have adopted. Whenever he opened a new bottle of liquor he wrote on the label where, when and with whom he opened it. To me, it's wisdom from the ages affirming my belief that whiskey drinking is far more about the people and the craic than the liquor itself.
CSI: Jameson
Leo's research made him reasonably certain that it was the genuine article but he contacted Irish Distillers Ltd. (IDL) -- the fine folks in Midleton -- to see if they could apply a little science to the matter. The Jameson Distillery team obliged and had Leo send a bottle of the Five Star for analysis by Jameson's Master of Whiskey Science David Quinn.
David's lab extracted a minute sample via a syringe inserted through the ancient cork and ran a spectrographic analysis. The Jameson team invited Leo and the rest of us down to receive the results over dinner at the Master Distiller's Cottage in Midleton.
The Master's Cottage at the Old Midleton Distillery
The "cottage" is the 22-room home -- and birthplace -- of Jameson's Master Distiller Barry Crockett. Before dinner, Leo summarized his research which included Penrose, the Broadmoor, the discovery, examination of the label and inks by a printing professional, and even pricing of the bottle from a 1915 mail order pricing guide that Leo found. The price -- $19.10 per 6-bottle case or the equivalent of $400/case or $68/bottle today -- confirmed that it was a premium 12- or 15-year-old whiskey in its time. That meant that the whiskey was distilled in Dublin around 1900. As Leo's brother Adrian noted, it might have been a whiskey that James Joyce and his contemporaries enjoyed.
IDL Project Director Brendan Buckley, Leo's brother Adrian and Distillery Operations Manager Liam O'Leary listen as Leo recounts his research into the history of the Jameson Five Star.
David's analysis also indicated that it was genuine, with its chemical composition confirming its "Jameson DNA." He also said that it had a strong or "heavy" pot still quality consistent with the whiskey-making style and preferences from the early 20th century. Jameson Master Blender Billy Leighton also contemplated in which types of casks the whiskey was aged and in what proportions it was blended.
That was the science. Now it was time for a little magic.
Legacy
We shifted to the dining room where Leo and David carefully opened this time capsule. David and the rest of us watched intently as Leo cut the lead seal and removed the dried cork.
It seemed to me that this was a moment worthy of the homage given to Shackleton's storied Scotch whisky found in Antarctica. Yes, it lacked the inspiring tale of adventure and survival. But this was extraordinary in its own right. We were opening a bit of history that was completing a 10,000-mile, 110-year journey in the presence of the successors to the people who created it. The first pour went to David, then to Jameson's Distillery Operations Manager Liam O'Leary, then Billy, then to each of us in the room.
David and Liam receiving the first pours of the whiskey created by their predecessors 110 years earlier
The full, rich nose and dark amber color instantly showed the pure pot still and sherry cask aging. It was what I'd called a "broad-shouldered" whiskey, bold but refined. The taste was remarkably smooth and complex with a flurry of sensations and associations that would shift and change so that it was hard to pin down to a few. The finish went on for ages. And with more exposure to the air the nose and taste evolved and morphed. Truly remarkable. You could also immediately understand how whiskey styles change over time. Today's market favors spirits lighter in color and taste. This was a whiskey not for casual drinking, but for savoring and for passing time with company.
Each course of the meal came with another sample of a whiskey in the Jameson line, bringing even more appreciation of the thought and effort that goes into defining and refining each brand. Toward the end of the evening, Billy Leighton produced an unlabeled bottle -- "Brand X" as we called it -- and sent the samples around the table. This was an entirely new creation known only to Billy. It had a lovely nose and taste reminiscent of a Green Spot pure pot still whiskey, leading Leo to guess that it might be a future 15-year-old issue of Green Spot. But Billy wasn't giving any clues to its origin or eventual branding.
A table full of glassware marking the end of a terrific evening.
Good Things Ahead
Between the openness of the distillery tour, the analysis of the Jameson Five Star, and the warm and generous hospitality, we came away with a much fuller sense of IDL's mission and place in the market. The team there seems genuinely committed to supporting and extending its existing brands with new releases, and to developing new whiskeys. There is a clear sense of purpose and a deep appreciation of the legacy contained in the brands. And there is excitement and energy coming from the growth of Irish whiskey overall and Jameson in particular.
Jameson recently surpassed the 3 million case mark in shipments which you can read more about in David Havelin's Irish Whiskey Notes. That's still small compared to Scotch shipments, but the numbers are growing. The success of Jameson is not only lifting the entire category it is the cash engine driving growth and new whiskey development at IDL. The company expects to double distillery capacity and is expanding warehouse space on adjacent land recently acquired for the purpose.
My overall takeaway from the visit is this: the green bottle with the iconic Jameson label is a defining emblem of Irish whiskey to a world market. But it stands for much more than that -- the team behind its making and marketing, the corporate resources and commitment behind IDL's whiskey and other spirits brands, the rebirth and growth of a market category that nearly disappeared 30 years ago, and the promise of new whiskeys to share with friends, family and colleagues in the years ahead.
Posted by Richard Nagle at 12/7/2010 7:09 AM 
Categories: Jameson, Midleton, Craic, Powers, Jameson Rarest Vintage Reserve, Red Breast, Jameson 18, Marketing, Jameson Gold Reserve, Irish Whiskey Society, Green Spot, Jameson 12, Pernod Ricard, Red Breast 15, Powers 12, Irish Distillers
Categories: Jameson, Midleton, Craic, Powers, Jameson Rarest Vintage Reserve, Red Breast, Jameson 18, Marketing, Jameson Gold Reserve, Irish Whiskey Society, Green Spot, Jameson 12, Pernod Ricard, Red Breast 15, Powers 12, Irish Distillers
If you had to pick a contemporary whiskey that most resembled this ancient Jameson, what would you say? It sounds quite a lot like Redbreast, with the Sherry oak and pot still character. Does it have the tang of Powers? Wonderful tale, by the way.
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MB: Tough to compare to today's whiskey's as they tend to run lighter in taste, though the closest might be a combination of a Red Breast 12 with heavier pot still content and a Jameson 12 with a richer sherry cask component. It was wonderfully robust.
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