Little Looks: Jameson Caskmates Fourpure Edition

Little Looks are the reviews of brews that may be new to me or to the market, a local beer I want to shout about, or simply a classic revisited.

The Lowdown

This limited edition, UK exclusive is the latest in Jameson’s Whiskey Caskmates range, a range which has been “born out of collaboration: two passions coming together to create something greater than the sum of their casks.” This variant sees the signature smooth Irish whiskey finished in London’s Fourpure Brewery‘s Shapeshifter IPA barrels.

The Taste

I’ve never really been a whiskey drinker, possibly because anything that’s usually in the house is Scotch Whisky which smells and tastes like the contents of a medicine cabinet. This, however, is really drinkable.

It promises tropical fruit and citrus and there is definitely citrus at play here; orange is in the aroma playing about with spice, oak and a maple syrup sweetness. It’s smooth and soft as promised; there’s very little harshness from the alcohol. Oak, toffee, vanilla and more of that spice and orange citrus show up for the flavour profile, but after searching I couldn’t detect much of the pineapple and mango listed on the bottle’s tasting notes. They are there, but they’re subtle, hidden beneath the other characteristics, but that’s not necessarily going to be the case for everyone.

Will it set the world alight? Probably not, but what it will do is attract new blood to the whiskey sector- those looking to move over from beer who’ve perhaps not known where to start (like me), and this is a good start. It’s also giving whiskey a trendier look, let’s face it, and may even convert current whiskey drinkers to the craft beer sector. It’s not a new idea- and there’s plenty of other similar collabs out there- but it is a fun one and there’s very little to dislike here. Definitely one to consider, especially with a certain festive holiday on that horizon