Behind the Scenes
What Is Blended Whiskey?
There’s no shortage of whiskey terms—wash, pot still, cask—and it can be a lot to keep track of, especially if you’re new to the world of whiskey. One term you’ll hear a lot—and for good reason—is blended whiskey.
A blended whiskey is simply two or more whiskeys mixed together. That’s it. But why blend whiskey? And how does blended whiskey differ from other types, like single malt?
To get to the bottom of blended whiskey, we’ve spoken to the real magic makers at Jameson: our blenders.
Blended Whiskey
Blended whiskey is just a mixture of whiskeys. It’s a combination of spirits aged in different barrels. The whiskeys can be aged for the same or different amounts of time.
Why blend whiskey? Blending whiskey allows for a more consistent flavor. Our Blenders can combine and adjust until they get the aroma, flavor profile, and smoothness you know and love.
The History of Blended Whiskey
Blended whiskey’s history goes back to the 1800s.
Bonders—spirit merchants with a license to store whiskey “in bond,” and then sell it from their premises—would purchase whiskey by the barrel from distillers and blend it to create distinctive brands. Over time, the craft of blending whiskey developed and became more sophisticated.
These days, most of the whiskey you find in the world are blended. Blending whiskey is how many Master Distillers and Master Blenders find new flavors and keep whiskeys—like Jameson—of consistent qualities.
Blended Whiskey vs. Single Malt
Single malt simply refers to the use of only malted barley in a whiskey’s mash—no other grains.
There’s single malt scotch and there’s single malt Irish whiskey, too.
How is single malt different from blended whiskey? They’re quite different in flavor. Single malts tend to vary more than blended whiskey from year to year. That’s because single malt leaves little room for adjustments before the whiskey is bottled, while you can adjust blended whiskey until you get the flavor you want. By and large, once you’ve finished aging your single malt whiskey, you get what you get.
How Jameson Is Blended
Jameson is a marriage of two types of whiskey, made separately and then blended.
The first type is pot still whiskey. A pot still whiskey is made using a mixture of malted and unmalted barley, yeast, and water. This is first left to ferment. Then the wash it makes is distilled three times in pot stills.
The second type is a grain whiskey, made using a column still. Unlike pot stills, column stills can distill continuously. Grain whiskey comes from a mixture of corn, yeast, and water. Once it’s fermented, the wash is also distilled three times.
These two individual whiskeys age separately in wooden casks. We use seasoned ex-bourbon barrels and seasoned sherry butts. The whiskeys age for a minimum of three years (but usually longer).
When the time is right, our expert blenders marry these whiskeys together to get the distinct flavor profiles required for all our Jameson family.
That’s the recipe for Jameson Original. For other whiskeys, we use different grains and barrels. For example, twice-charred cask whiskeys will go into Jameson Black Barrel, and Jameson Single Pot Still doesn’t use any grain whiskey.
Why Blend Whiskey?
Why go through all the effort of making two types of whiskey? Why not just make one type and have a blended grain whiskey? For this, Jameson has two answers to complement both whiskey types.
Tradition
Jameson was born in pot stills. We’ve also used a combination of barley and malted-barely for over 200 years. Barley is an amazing local product that we can source sustainably. And it gives our whiskey an unmatched smoothness.
Flavor
Pot and column distillation produce two unique styles of spirit. Pot still whiskey is spicy, aromatic, and robust. Column still whiskey is delicate and floral.
Blending these styles together opens a breadth of flavors for the whiskey. It creates a greater range than just using one or the other.
How to Enjoy Blended Whiskey
The best way to enjoy blended whiskey is to first find your favorite.
A tasting of blended whiskeys, like we do at the Jameson Distillery in Bow Street, will help you decide your favorite. Good whiskey bars also have tastings to guide you through the flavor nuances of different blended whiskeys.
Once you have your favorite whiskey, then it’s time to drink whiskey like a pro. Whether it’s neat, on the rocks, in a cocktail or just with a drop of water in your favorite whiskey glass, the best way to enjoy a Jameson is your way.
What Are the Best Cocktails with Blended Whiskey?
Can you blame us for saying any whiskey cocktail with Jameson is the best? A blended whiskey like Jameson is nearly always what whiskey mixologists reach for, as they tend to be very balanced.
The classic Whiskey Sour goes best with a blended whiskey for that perfect balance of sweet and sour. And, of course, a Jameson Ginger & Lime is a go-to for a smooth, fresh cocktail with a little spice.
You can find plenty of amazing whiskey cocktail recipes that call for our full range of blended Jameson whiskeys here on our website.
Jameson Is the Best in Blended
Don’t believe us? Let the next family gathering or drinks with friends be the judge—we’re pretty sure we’ll change your mind. As for the future of Irish whiskey, you’ll just have to see what Jameson comes up with next.
Find your favorite whiskey amongst our range of Jameson Irish Whiskey.
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Deirdre O’Carroll
Blender at Irish Distillers
Years of expertise: 11
Degree in Food Science and Technology, Diploma in Distilling from the Institute of Brewing and Distilling
About the Author:
Meet Deirdre O’Carroll, Blender at Irish Distillers. She is part of the blending team, otherwise known as whiskey wizards. It is her job to smell, test, and taste all our whiskeys at Irish Distillers, methodically selecting the finest combinations of characteristics from each to create the perfect blended Irish whiskey taste that we all know and love.
