[Review] Jameson - Crested 40%

I don't tend to review much Irish whisky because I don't tend to drink much Irish whisky. It is something I want to remedy, and I guess the best way to go about it is to explore mainstream bottles before moving upwards. Having never tried anything from the Jameson distillery, it was time to get started. I decided to do that, not with the standard bottle of Jameson but with their Crested release. It is also widely available in British supermarket and often of offer, so for £22, it will give me a first look into the distillery.

Crested used to be called Crested 10 before 2016. It is pretty much standard Jameson aged for a little longer with the addition of some sherry casks in the mix. So what do you get for your money?

First, there is no indication relating to the colour or filtration of the whisky so I would assume it has been chillfiltered and the dark gold is obtained with a drop of E150. It is also bottled at 40%:

Nose: Sweet and grainy, a little oak spice, dusty, some greener notes too. Quite creamy, honey, lemon, stone fruit, under-ripe peach. 

Palate: Sweet, vanilla. honey again, apple. Like with the nose, it is very creamy but with some oak spice, a touch of mint and some grain spirity notes too. Caramel, milk chocolate, linseed oil and hints of sherry but nothing too obvious. Rather easy drinking...

Finish: Quite short. Honey, milk chocolate, spice, oak and a little bitterness.

With water: I only added a few drops. The nose become fainter but with some floral touches. The palate becomes watery and even creamier sweet. The finish gets a hint more spice with a touch of aniseed. Definitely not one I would add water to...

So overall, this is an easy drinking whisky. The proof is in the fact that the bottle has gone down more quickly than I had anticipated. In my opinion, it is good value for money if you can pick it up around £25/£30. However, do not expect anything amazing. It isn't a whisky you will spend a long time with. It works well as a warm-up dram. The flavours are decent but that's about it, you will not be blown away. I am glad I bought a bottle and tried it, but would I buy another one? Probably not...