Wakey Whiskey: Jameson Caskmates Stout Edition Irish Whiskey

By Eric Ducote

Good morning Tiger fans!  If I was a superstitious fan I'd be going straight back to some JPS 21-Year Rye after LSU laid the smack down on #2 UGA last week, but I'm not superstitious and I don't really believe that my whiskey choices have any impact on a football game.  That said, it's always been a fun tradition that started in my tailgating days to start off a big day with a wakey whiskey.  That tradition has evolved past tailgating into all game days, and even birthdays, holidays, weddings, and other special events.  If it's a cause for celebration, it's a cause for some wakey whiskey!

With that noted, I'm of course going to feature a new whiskey today, as you're here to read about the beverage and it would be boring to write about the same one every time LSU wins, right? There's only so much I could have said about the Roaming Man Tennessee Straight Rye whiskey that I started off the season with, and you would have had 5 weeks of that one!  So this week, an Irish Whiskey with a twist, the Jameson Caskmates Stout Edition.  This one starts out as a standard batch of Jameson Irish Whiskey, and then is aged further in barrels that were used to age an Irish craft-brewed stout.  

Jameson Caskmates Stout Edition Irish Whiskey

The color is basically the same as regular Jameson, golden with hints of orange.   The nose is smooth, with hints of honeysuckle, mineral water, and a hint of fruit.  There's a minimal 'burn' on this whiskey, as it's triple distilled in the Irish tradition and bottled at 80 proof.  The result is an extremely smooth sipping whiskey, with a hint of chocolate malt notes on the taste combined with the fruit and honey flavors of the base whiskey.  It finishes easy with another little hint of chocolate.

Overall, I really enjoy this whiskey, although I don't know that I really get much 'stout' out of it.  I think it would have been even better with more time in those beer barrels, but I also feel like it's a lot harder to impart the beer flavors into a whiskey than it is to pull whiskey flavors into a beer.  I admire the creativity to mix up the process, and at a reasonable price around $30, it's not a bad buy.  I'm going to have to try the IPA edition next, as I feel like hop flavors might work even better.  Until then, cheers, and GEAUX TIGERS! 

Wakey Whiskey: St. Paddy's Irish Whiskey Battle - Jameson vs Tullamore DEW

by Eric Ducote

Good morning everyone, and happy St. Patrick's Day to you all!  Or it could be St. Paddy's Day, but never Patty... never. Seriously, never.

Now, I'm not really going to #wakeywhiskey on a Friday morning (always #wakeywhiskey responsibly) before work, but here's a sneak preview of what tomorrow morning has in store for me. Tomorrow of course will be the 32nd annual Baton Rouge St. Patrick's Day parade, Wearin' of the Green, a great event for all of the city to enjoy.  In that honor, it's time for a good old-fashioned Irish whiskey showdown, Jameson vs. Tullamore DEW.

Jameson and Tullamore DEW tastings

These are a couple of standard-bearers in the Irish Whiskey world, both triple distilled and bottled at 80 proof. Jameson has been in production since 1810 in a distillery that was established in Dublin 30 years earlier in 1780. Tullamore DEW originated in 1829, and after shifting production around a few other distilleries in the mid-to-late 1900s is now back in Tullamore, Ireland.

The first observance is that served neat the Jameson is a little darker than the Tulllamore DEW, which indicates to me that it's been aged slightly longer, but it's not a significant difference.  The Jameson, on first sip, is just so smooth, even smoother than I remember, with hints of honey and a floral sweetness. I'm really amazed as the finish as well, just as easy as the front end, which could make a dangerous Saturday morning if I'm not careful.  Overall, even better than I remember, and a worthy choice for any St. Patrick's Day... but... how about that Tullamore DEW?

The color of the Tullamore DEW is slightly lighter, and the aroma is a little more floral and less sweet than the Jameson, with a hint of minerals likely from the water used in the process.  The taste is more of the same, with a little more bite than the Jameson, but still less than most whiskeys out there, putting it on the smooth side of the spectrum. Now, mind you this is on my personal spectrum, so a novice whiskey drinker is probably going to get a good bite out of both of these Irish selections.

Overall, this is going to come down to personal preference... if you want velvety smooth, go for the Jameson, but if you like a little bite to your sip, opt for the Tullamore DEW.  Either way, as a St. Paddy's #wakeywhiskey both are sure to get you in the Irish spirit.

Sláinte!

Irish Whiskey Flight: Whisk(e)y Wednesday presented by Lock & Key

by Blair "B-Rex" Loup

Irish Whiskey Flight featuring Green Spot, Redbreast 12 Year, and Jameson Black Barrel at Lock & Key $18

One of my favorite things about Lock & Key Whiskey Bar is how approachable they make things. If you're not a whiskey aficionado, chances are you're lost in a place like Lock & Key. With over 200 different whiskeys, it's easy to feel intimidated. Fret not, under the wings of their knowledgable and helpful staff, you can easily find your next whiskey obsession. If I'm not getting one of their delicious whiskey cocktails, I go for one of their incredibly affordable flights. Each flight has different levels of complexity; you'll get to try some stuff you're used to and try some stuff you've never had before.

This month, Lock & Key is featuring an Irish Whiskey flight for $18 you really won't want to miss. Featuring Jameson Select Reserve Black Barrel, Redbreast 12 Year, and the hard-to-find Green Spot, this Irish Whiskey Flight is available throughout March.

The Jameson Black Barrel and Redbreast 12 year are always available, but the Green Spot is what makes this flight a deal, so you'll definitely want to stop by and give it a whirl.

I got the chance to sit down and taste these three whiskeys with co-owner and whiskey-pedia, Arthur Lauck. What I love most about drinking whiskey with Arthur is he lets your draw your own conclusions and feel your way around before he lays down his infinite whiskey knowledge.

He suggested I try the Jameson Black Barrel first. Heavy vanilla on the nose, it was initially super balanced and smooth. After adding a few drops of water, the flavor expands into taller vanilla and toasted oak notes and moves the taste to the back of the palate. It kind of coats your mouth and lingers for a while, but none of the flavors are overpowering. It's also only a few dollars more than a regular Jameson and is far better tasting.

Moving along the tasting board, next up is the Redbreast 12 year. Being a single pot still distilled three times is what sets the Redbreast and Green Spot apart from the Jameson Black barrel. While the Black Barrel is from one distillery, it's still made up from different mashes. The Redbreast is slightly sweet, creamy, and full bodied. It instantly makes you feel warmer and has similar tasting notes to the Jameson Black Barrel, but is about 6 levels above that. You can really see where the single pot still makes a difference.

Green Spot is very hard to come by and has limited allocation, luckily Arthur was able to snag some. Instantly, I'm in love. It's super drinkable. It has an extremely clean finish, a little creamy, fresh and dried fruit notes, and strong on the peppermint. It's soft and delicate, but has a really great flavor. I loved it so much, I ran to Ben Q Liquor on my way back to the office to snag a bottle.

This is a really fun way to pre-celebrate the St. Paddy's festivities with three delicious whiskeys. Be sure to follow us on Twitter and Instagram @biteandbooze, and "like" us on Facebook and let us know which Irish whiskey in the flight was your favorite!

Jameson Shenanigans: Whisk(e)y Wednesday presented by Calandro's Supermarket

Bloody Jameson

As the luck o’ the Irish would have it, I was invited to enjoy a Jameson Irish Whiskey dinner at the Stadium in L’Auberge Baton Rouge a few days before St. Patrick’s Day. That seems like plenty of reason in itself to make this a Whisk(e)y Wednesday post, but they went a step further and incorporated whiskey into a lot of the food too. I'm generally not a huge fan of Jameson as I know there are better Irish whiskies out there without the expenses of massive marketing budgets. However, once you get into the Reserve and 12 Year Jameson, they have some pretty good stuff. If you have not yet had the chance to stop by the L’Auberge Casino, I recommend you make the time to check out the inspired facilities, the rooftop pool, and most importantly the food. Chef Jimmy at the Stadium set us up with a well thought out interpretation of some crowd pleasers and Irish classics. While each course was being brought out to us, we learned about the history of Jameson and the flavors that accompany this famous spirit from Arthur Lauck of the Lock & Key Whiskey Bar. A big thanks to Chef Jimmy for a scrumptious meal and to Julie Collins for the invite!

Drunken Crawfish with a Jameson Butter Sauce

Irish Charcuterie: Irish Banger, Smoked Salmon, and Dublin Sausages with a Whiskey Mustard and Whiskey Rhubarb Marmalade accompanied by Pickled Fennel and Beets

Sous Vide Corned Pork Belly atop Red Beet Puree with Potato and Cabbage Hash

Paddy's Beesting with Chocolate Sugar lined glass

Jameson and Beesting Honey Almond Cake, Strawberry Jelly Spheres and Chocolate Ganache

Whisk(e)y Wednesday is a blog post series on Bite and Booze sponsored by Calandro's Supermarket. Calandro's has one of Baton Rouge's best selections of bourbon, Scotch, Irish, and other whisk(e)ys as well as wine and craft beer. This WW feature was scored by Jay Ducote, Eric Ducote, and Jeremy Spikes. Scores are marked for Nose, Taste, Finish, and Balance and Complexity using our own proprietary scoring system. Marks are then added and averaged, leaving us with a final score out of a 100 point scale. Our scale should be looked at on the full range of 0-100 rather than an academic range where 70 is passing and anything less is failing. A 50 should be considered a very mediocre whisk(e)y (though not undrinkable) while anything below 20 is absolute horse piss and anything above 80 is rather extraordinary and anything above 90 is world class.

Gumbo Saturday at Death Valley

The final tailgate party of the 2009 LSU football season clearly prompted people all over campus to break out their large pots and make a gumbo to feed the loyal fans.  My Gumbo Saturday got off to a splendid start at the Ford Family Tailgating party where Jeremy kindly shared a little Jameson Irish Whiskey with me.  While Jameson isn't my favorite Irish Whiskey (try Powers if you never have had it before), it still tastes just fine on the rocks.  It has a smooth taste and a crisp bite to make for a very refreshing wakey whiskey, or for a nice drink at any other time of day.  

Jameson Irish Whiskey on the Rocks

The day's first gumbo came from Mama and Papa Ford.  In their large pot they cooked up a turkey, chicken, and sausage gumbo that tasted brilliant.  Turkey meat is very seldom found in Cajun gumbos, but this being two days after Thanksgiving, it only made sense.  The gumbo itself had an earthy roux that was more light brown than chocolate in color.  I added a little hot sauce to mine and got after it... two bowls worth of getting after it over the span of an hour, I'm pretty sure.

The Ford Family Tailgating Gumbo in the Pot and in the Bowl

After a few more hours of tailgating at FFT, the time had come for me to migrate around campus before the Tigers kicked off in Death Valley.  My next stop came at the Speyrer and Friends tailgate party where Nick had been cooking up another spectacular pot of gumbo.  Sometimes you just can't get enough delicious gumbo served over Louisiana rice... and this was one of those days!

Speyrer Gumbo in the Pot and in the Bowl

As can be seen from the pictures, the Speyrer gumbo had a slightly darker roux for its base.  Nick used only chicken and sausage in his flavorful gumbo and I scarfed down another bowl and a half at his place before falling into a gumbo coma.  The dark roux made this gumbo richer and thicker than the Ford gumbo, though I certianly wouldn't say that either one was better than the other.  The great thing about Cajun gumbos is that they can all be cooked differently and taste differently, but still be just as good as the others in their own unique way.  If it was a contest, maybe I'd pass some judgement, but since Gumbo Saturday was really about sharing some good food at tailgate parties with some good friends, I'd prefer to say that both gumbos made me very happy.  It's days like this when I'm especially glad to live in Louisiana!