John Jameson, a Scottish-born lawyer from Alloa, began making whiskey at Bow Street in Dublin in 1780. He had married Margaret Haig, whose father was the Scottish distiller John Haig, and the family motto, Sine Metu, meaning "without fear", sits on the bottle. Production left Dublin for the Midleton distillery in County Cork in the mid 1970s, and the brand has belonged to Pernod Ricard since 1988.
The whiskey is a blend of pot still and grain whiskey. The pot still part is made from malted and unmalted Irish barley, and Jameson is triple distilled in copper pot stills, which the makers credit for its smoothness. The water comes from the Dungourney River, which runs through the Midleton grounds. It matures for at least four years, mostly in ex-bourbon casks with some ex-sherry casks, and it is bottled at 40 per cent.
Expect light floral notes on the nose, then spice, nuts and vanilla with a touch of sweet sherry. Try it in an Irish coffee, with hot coffee, brown sugar and a float of cream, or shake it into a whiskey sour. It also works plainly over a single large cube.