Review | Jameson Remixed - Caribbean Beats 21 years old

This whiskey is the second addition to The Jameson Anthology series. The Jameson Anthology is designed to show new whiskeys down one of two tracks - Remastered will be old classic expressions reinvented, while Remixed will have a more innovative and experimental edge. The first bottling, released in early 2022, sat within Remastered - the Jameson 15 years old Single Pot Still. This expression last in the Jameson's range in 2000. 

Now the inaugural Remixed bottling has been launched to join it - the Jameson Caribbean Beats 21 years old. This unique expression of Jameson has been fully matured in ex-rum casks for 21 years - the first 18 years were in American oak ex-FourSquare rum barrels from Barbados, followed by a three year finishing period in ex-Havana Club Selección de Maestros rum casks from Cuba. 

Jameson is owned by Irish Distillers Pernod Ricard and is produced at the Midleton distillery in Co. Cork. This was built in 1975 to replace the old Bow Street distillery in Dublin, which is now the brand's visitor centre. This original distillery was built by founder John Jameson in 1780. Midleton produces both single grain and single pot still whiskeys with a combined capacity of 64 million litres per year. This goes towards Jameson and other Irish Distillers brands such as Green Spot, Paddy, Power's and Redbreast. 

The Jameson Remixed - Caribbean Beats 21 years old is bottled at 46% ABV and has been created by Kevin O'Gorman, the Master Distiller for Jameson. The ex-rum casks have yielded just 2,900 bottles and these are available exclusively from the Caribbean Beats page on the Jameson website. Each 50cl bottle will cost €280.

 

Our Tasting Notes

The colour is a vibrant coppery gold and the nose is laced with sweet and fruity aromas. Coffee cake and fudge rise first and are quickly joined by red apple, fresh pineapple and dried mango. Underneath are further aromas of marzipan and milk chocolate, along with hints of ginger, cinnamon and nutmeg spice.

On the palate this whiskey has a lovely and luscious mouthfeel. The juicy and ripe tropical fruits are again to the fore with peach, pineapple and mango all evident. Then comes some warming spice in the form of gingerbread, nutmeg and cinnamon bark. This seems to accentuate the juicy fruitiness. Further sweetness is added with evolving notes of honeycomb and golden syrup, which are backed up by toffee and marzipan. Some slightly bitter chocolate and cocoa powder also begin to come through and this adds further depth and complexity. A delicious note of bitter orange peel and something reminiscent of creme caramel also develop with time.

The finish is of decent length and sumptuous. The ripe tropical fruits and sweet confected characteristics slowly fade to reveal a herbal, almost vegetal sugar cane-like note that adds further interest. This cane-like quality and the warming spices lead the way towards a lightly peppery finale.

What's The Verdict?

This is a cracker from Jameson. The whisky world has been waiting to see what the first Remixed bottling would be and they have gone big from the beginning. Not many whiskies of any age have been fully matured in ex-rum barrels, let alone for 21 years. The result is exquisite and packed with confected sweet tropical fruitiness that is balanced by warming baking-type spices. The Jameson Remixed Caribbean Beats is an absolute beauty and we hope that you get to taste it before it has all sold out.