The Jameson Experience

Hello friends,


So today we visited Midleton, just outside of Cork City, and saw the Jameson Distillery. What a neat place! The bus took about 30 minutes to get to Midleton and the distillery was about 200 meters from the bus stop.

Check out the pics of the main gates and pot still in front of the buildings!

We got there a bit early before the tour started and had to kill some time in the gift shop and the main lobby. There were some interesting pieces from the distillery that i have included at the beginning of the pictures. Our tickets cost 9 euro each and included a free glass of Jameson at the end!

The tour began with a short movie about the history of John Jameson and how he began his career back in 1780. After the movie the walking tour began. It might be best to read the blog and have the pictures going in another window because the lady talked really fast and the captions on the pictures might be off some.

We first looked at the ingredients in whiskey: barley, malted barley, and water. The guide showed us the difference between barley and malted barley and explained that the precise amounts of each must be added to make their great whiskey.

We moved into the courtyard where farmers would come to sell the Jameson's their barley. Each sack would be weighed and the farmer would take their pay voucher to the payout window where they would get their money and usually a glass of whiskey for the ride home. Many of the buildings that i took pictures of were used to store the massive amounts of barley.

Next up was the maltings where the barley was soaked in water to allow germination to occur. Once germination occurred, the barley was heated with anthracite and germination would then be stopped. Anthracite was used by the Jamesons because it is smokeless. This is a main difference between whiskey in Ireland and places such as the USA and Scotland.

We moved the the grain stores next which was a HUGE building with a ton of steps leading to the top. Early on workers were forced to carry the barley bags to the top. These bags weighed 16 stone which is like 224 lbs.

Going outside again we got to see the oldest building of the distillery from 1794. It was originally used as military barracks until 1825 when it was turned into a mill. Also outside was the Distillers Cottage. It looks rather small from our pictures, but inside is supposed to have 23 rooms.

The waterwheel came next and was pretty cool. Dates back to 1852 and is 22 feet in diameter. It is one of only a few waterwheels still working today in Ireland. Inside the room near the waterwheel contained the millstones that ground down the malt into grist. Next to this room housed a 20-HP steam engine used to help power the waterwheel when needed. It was bought in 1834 for 800 pounds which today would be like $2,000,000 or something like that.

The next area contained a huge mixer used to mashing. Water is boiled and mixed with barley and malt. Its just like a huge pot that mixes stuff on its own. The liquid that comes out is called Wort. Wort is sent to the washbacks for fermentation.

In the next step, we saw where the yeast is added to the wort and the carbs break down into sugars that convert to alcohol in about 3 days. This liquid is the wash. Wash is about 8% alcohol by volume.

We moved on to the distillation process next. Jameson in Midleton contains the largest pot still in the world. It holds 32,000 gallons and is made of copper. The house that this pot still is in was constructed around the pot still. Jamesons uses a triple distill process. The liquid is heated to 170 degrees where alcohol boils, condensed, boiled, condensed, boiled, and condensed a final time. There are 3 pot stills, but the other 2 are much smaller than 32,000 gallons. After distillation the product is about 80% alcohol by volume. Legally it must be reduced to 63% when it is sold.

We moved into the room that contains all the barrels of liquids. All the barrels are imported from Spain, USA, and Portugal. Different barrels give the whiskey different properties as they mature. All the barrels are made from some type on Oak usually. The maturation of Jameson whiskey is very particular. By law it must mature for 3 years. No Jameson brand has matured for less than 5-7. The Jameson Distillery Reserve and Midleton Very Rare lie in casts for at leasy 12 years. Some Jameson whiskey has been in casts for over 20 years. I'm not sure which of the 2 brands...but one can only be bought in the gift store or bar at Jameson Midleton distillery and the other brand can only be bought in Ireland and costs like 4000 euros a bottle. At the bar, a glass of one of the two cost like 150 euro.

The final stop was the bar where we would get our free glass of whiskey. The guide explained there would be a sampling at the end and needed volunteers so I raised my hand and got picked! I got to sit with a few other volunteers and taste test 5 different types of whiskeys. I tried 3 types of Jameson, Jack Daniels, and Johnnie Walker. Reline got some good pics of me trying them all out and there were some big differences. The Scotch had a smoky flavor from not using anthracite and instead pushing peat smoke over the barley. Jack Daniels had a strong oak taste from the tannin in the barrels. The 3 types of Jameson were definitely the best. After the tasting, we each received certificates saying we are Jameson whiskey taste testers and another glass of whiskey from the bar......at one point i really thought they were trying to get me drunk.

Finally, the tour was over and we headed to the Jameson cafe where we had a cup of seafood chowder, which was amazing, and we had a sandwich. Excellent food. We walked through town for a little, but there wasnt much to see so we grabbed a bus back to Cork!

It was another nice day trip and we got a lot of good pics. I'll post again soon, we may try venturing out a bit farther this weekend for an overnight trip, but we arent sure yet...

Hope all is well,

Travis