Jameson Caskmates: Is It Nonsense?

[Talgrath]

We've all seen (and drank) beers aged in liquor barrels, and no doubt the soak in a wooden cask imparts the flavors (and some of the alcohol content) of the liquor the cask once held, but what about the reverse? A friend of mine asked me about Jameson Caskmates, a line of whiskey aged in barrels that once held beer. Apparently the process is that they send some of their whiskey casks to a nearby brewery, which then soaked their stout in them, and then sent the barrels back to Jameson who proceeded to soak whiskey in them. My thought is that this isn't likely to do much to the whiskey flavor, mostly it would just add some malty sweetness and that there wouldn't be a lot of stout soaked into the barrels, this is more of a marketing gimmick than anything else. I was curious to hear what the beeritburo of the forum thought though, would this actually work in a meaningful way? Has anyone actually tried this stuff?

Here's the website, if you're curious:
https://www.jamesonwhiskey.com/us/ourwhiskeys/jameson-caskmates?utm_source=Google&utm_medium=Paid_Search&utm_term=+jameson%27s&utm_content=GGL_|_BRD_|_Broad_|_Jameson_|_Core&utm_campaign=caskmates2015

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

I don't see why Stout would not lend some character to the Whiskey. A less robust beer wouldn't do much, I think, unless it was for Vodka.

 

[DromJohn]

This was the origin of Innis & Gunn.
The Story Discovered by Accident

Our beer’s distinctive depth of flavour owes a debt to good fortune. In 2002 a famous whisky distiller approached us for help. They were seeking to season some of their oak casks with the sweet, malty character of a full-flavoured beer. All the previous attempts had failed.

Eager to assist, we created a custom-made recipe and the resulting brew was put to bed in their barrels.

Thirty days on, our beer was thrown out and the whisky went in. During its maturation, the Scotch acquired extra qualities from the beer-infused wood, resulting in a greatly admired dram and many repeats of the successful experiment.

Then, months later and quite unexpectedly, our Master Brewer, Dougal, received an exciting call – this time it wasn’t the whisky getting rave reviews.

Some inquisitive souls at the distillery had sampled our beer after its time in casks. We did likewise…and the taste was remarkable. It had been transformed by the oak into an unusually refined brew.

Ever since that heady day we’ve dedicated ourselves to sharing the unique flavours of our oak aged beers with the world, proving that a little luck can go a long way.

 

[LandoLincoln]

Well...if there was no discernible taste difference then I doubt it would be on the market, so...it has to do SOMETHING for the whiskey. Good or bad is subjective.

Some malt roastiness flavor added but that would be about it. "Does it justify the cost?" is also very subjective and there's really only one way to find out.

"Can you get the same taste by adding a small amount of stout to the whiskey glass?" That's a question that can be more easily answered through experimentation.

 

[Talgrath]

Well...if there was no discernible taste difference then I doubt it would be on the market, so...it has to do SOMETHING for the whiskey. Good or bad is subjective.

Some malt roastiness flavor added but that would be about it. "Does it justify the cost?" is also very subjective and there's really only one way to find out.

"Can you get the same taste by adding a small amount of stout to the whiskey glass?" That's a question that can be more easily answered through experimentation.

This sounds like the sort of experimentation I need to try!

 

[zmanzorro]

Jameson actually sent me a bottle and here is my review:

www.iliveindallas.com/jameson-caskmates

I can't really say much, since I'm not a huge whiskey drinker, but my friend who I shared it with really enjoyed it. The stout came through very subtly for me.

 

[bierhund]

Check out New Holland Brewing Company in Holland, MI. They've been doing this for awhile. They age their Dragon's Milk Bourbon Stout in Bourbon barrels then age their Bourbon in the used Dragon's Milk barrels. It's pretty damn tasty.