Jameson Black Barrel: A New Face on a Familiar Friend

I met Leon on Inauguration Day in 2009 in a warm, greasy dive bar in southeast Washington, DC.  He was sitting alone and leaning over a Pabst’s Blue Ribbon can when a friend of mine made the mistake of disturbing him.  Following a brief, heated “discussion” between the two of them regarding war experience, race and voting practices, I pulled my friend away and told her it might be best if she got lost for a moment.  As an act of contrition, I offered to buy the sullen, Vietnam vet a shot of his choice.
 
He looked at me from beneath the brim of his oak leaf clustered hat bill and blinked his bulging, dark eyes several times, sizing me up, trying to make sure I wasn’t some out of place white boy who had wandered into Trusty’s on the tide of the morning’s Capitol Hill festivities.  Then in a gruff voice he answered, “Jameson’s.  Just Jameson’s.”

This was the first of many drinks Leon and I would buy for each other, and more often than not, those drinks came an ounce at a time before being lifted and then consumed in honor of some relative or friend or exaggerated event.  Even if their introduction isn’t courtesy of a world-weary widower, this is how many bar patrons first encounter John Jameson’s prized creation- shaking hands one shot at a time.

However, Jameson’s is in the process of changing that.  Initially launched in August of 2011, Black Barrel, Jameson’s newest expression, demonstrates the familiar distiller’s ability to create a product at the craft level.  While the process is undeniably complex, the whiskey’s basics include blending a small batch grain whiskey, which tends to be sweet, with a pot still whiskey.  The addition of the pot still serves a dual purpose.  The whiskey itself is comprised of both a malted and unmalted barley.  The unmalted portion contains no sugar, thus it doesn’t contribute to the alcohol content.  Instead, it gives Black Barrel a floral, creamy character that is unique in comparison to the familiar Jameson’s of local pubs and taverns.

The use of pot still whiskey also reflects the heritage and tradition that is a cornerstone of the Jameson label. Before being combined with the sweet small batch whiskey, the pot still is distilled three times.  “This is the old Irish way,” explains Ger Buckley, Jameson’s Master Cooper, “and we are the only distiller in Ireland that still uses this method.”
As an employee of John Jameson and Son for the last 36 years, Ger takes a special pride in preserving the Old World skills that make Jameson unique. 

“When I make my barrels, I use the tools that have been used by craftsmen for almost 200 years.” This dedication to tradition is not only rare, it’s fading. Today, Ger estimates that only 1500 such artisans remain in the world.  However, he has no intention of letting the tradition end with him.

“I learned how to be a cooper from my father- the same way he learned from his uncle and on back through the generations.  Next February, for the first time in 32 years, we will be hiring two new apprentices, and I will teach them to make barrels in the same manner in which I was taught.”

Presently, Black Barrel has a limited distribution that includes New Jersey, New York City, Connecticut, Chicago and now (thankfully) Washington, DC. With another Inauguration Day only two months away, I hope to find my old friend Leon content and quietly sitting alone amongst the celebratory crowds. And while our tradition is a mere newborn in comparison to those of Ger and Jameson, we’ll order ourselves a beer and a familiar shot- and pick up where we left off.

Jameson Black Barrel launched in DC the week of 10/8 and is now available at the below on-premise locations:

14TH STREET BAKERY & WINE BAR

AMERICAN ICE COMPANY

ASYLUM (BEER IN 6PK ONLY)

BAR PILAR

BILLY S

BLT STEAK

BLUE ROOM

BOURBON-C/S CK ADDRESS

BRIXTON  THE

CAFE MILANO

CAPITOL CITY BREW CO

CAUCUS ROOM BRASSERIE

CHARLIE PALMER STEAK

CITY CLUB OF WASHINGTON(EAN).

DARLINGTON HOUSE

DIRTY MARTINI INN BAR

ELEPHANT & CASTLE PUB

FOUNDING FARMERS

GIBSON,  THE

GRAFFIATO

HANKS OYSTER BAR ON THE HILL

IRISH CHANNEL RESTAURANT

JACK ROSE

KELLY S IRISH TIMES

MARRIOTT RESIDENCE INN/CRIOS

MARVIN

OLD DOMINION BREW HOUSE

OZIO RESTAURANT

PATTY BOOM BOOM

PROOF

PUG,  THE

PURO CAFE

QUEEN VIC,  THE

SCION RESTAURANT

SHELLYS BACK ROOM

SOUTHERN HOSPITALITY

THUNDER BURGER & BAR

TUNNICLIFFS TAVERN

U ST GRILL (LOCAL 16) PU KEGS

UNIV CLUB OF WASH DC

VOX ARTIS

W HOTEL WASHINGTON D.C.

WONDERLAND BALLROOM,  THE