Unexpected Ingredient In Jameson

squonk

I got a regular events email from Jameson And I noticed the link down at the end to nutritional information. once I followed that I saw they had an ingredients list.

Irish whiskey (cereal and malt distillates), Water, Colour: plain caramel

what seems to be artificial colouring caught my eye. I know there would probably be a small difference in colour between batches and they may want to have a particular house style and consistency, but it seemed pretty odd. I’m probably naive in thinking the only colour in whiskey should come from the barrel.

http://thewhiskeychaser.ie/irish-whiskey-e150a-coloring/

As you suggest, it’s consistency of appearance of the product for customer perception. One thing I like about my favourite whisky is that it has very little colour, it’s almost clear, Kilchoman from Islay. It’s not peaty much like most Islay whiskies, in fact it’s very delicate. A small batch farm distillery, remote. You kind of have to negotiate a track through a field of sheep to visit it. Worth a taste imo, can be got in the Whiskey shop on Dawson St. In small bottles to sample. There’s no caramelisation of the product.

https://kilchomandistillery.com/

I guess customers would somehow be discommoded if their rich flavoured glass of Jemmie were a whiter shade of take.

Quackster

Normal practice in the whiskey industry. Take it that every whiskey has colouring added (E150: caramel colour being the only one legally permitted) unless explicitly stated otherwise on the bottle.

In some countries, such has Germany, the presence of colouring additives has to be declared on the bottle but, alas, not in this country.

cnocbui

My Grandfather was head distiller at Jamesons. Back in his day they did age the stuff in barrels and the distillery was located in Bow St. My mother was actually born in the distillery, technically, as the house that went with the job was on the grounds. The distillery was also her childhood playground. When it snowed, she and her brother had the best/worst taboggan in Phoenix park as it was made for them by the distillery coopers. She complained that it was very heavy and that getting it back up to the top was way more of an effort than those with lesser machines had.

Nowadays it seems to be all giant Stainless steel tanks.

My Grandfather had a monthly ration, he had noticed there was one barrel right at the back that wasn't an ex sherry cask, but one that had been used for brandy. He made sure to take his ration from that barrel. My mother said he would sometimes swap his ration for Poitín.

Insect Overlord

Most of the newer/smaller/craft distillers tend to include something like "non chill-filtered, natural colour" somewhere on their labels to set themselves apart from the more mass-produced stuff.

squonk

Thanks. It’s funny alright. I bought a bottle of JJ Corey’s for my dad lately and he was mentioning it was very pale looking. I guess the perception at large is that whiskey has to be a golden/dark brown or else there’s something wrong with it. Thanks @[Deleted User] I’ve very nearly grabbed a bottle of kitchen recently. It looks lovely.

Beanstalk

It's just a perception thing. Loads of distillers do it because folks think a whiskey looks older when it's darker and also to try and keep a product consistently a similar colour in case they think there's something wrong with it. Lots of rich folks ask independent bottlers to add colouring as well because they know it will make their private bottlings look older/more distinguished.

It's silly really because as a user pointed out above the likes of a non coloured kilchoman Sanaig aged about 6-7 years in fresh wet sherry casks will be darker than a 21 year old Macallan, and a 25 year old non coloured Ardbeg will be lighter in colour than a similar Glengoyne or whatever. I just hate the idea of a natural products sitting in a cask for years on some island and then unceremoniously dumped with colourant chemical in a cold factory in Perth just to look more pleasing to the eye. It's the norm for most big Irish distillers

the beer revolu

Rather than educate their customers, the mainstream brands simply pander to their ignorance. The notion that the darkness of whiskey is associated with both quality and age then gets reinforced as all the premium brands tend to be coloured quite heavily.

Sometimes, I think market research points brands in poor directions.

squonk

True but it’s a self fulfilling prophecy. From my earliest days I remember bottles of Paddy in the house that were nice and brown coloured. Every bottle looked the same. I think if I was an independent bottler/producer I’d be making a bigger deal about colouring being added to the big brand stuff. I don’t think the average consumer either realises or cares. It’s not pointed out in the bottle, at least noticeably.

Jameson seem to be going down the cocktail route to entice younger drinkers. All the other ingredients in mixers will dwarf whatever is included in mixers.

Mind you I like tasting my whiskey rather than mixing it. Mind you early on I do think I had a short lived jemmie & coke phase.

artanevilla

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121749643#Comment_121749643

To be labeled and sold as Irish Whiskey, the spirit must be aged for at least three years in wooden casks, so they don't age it in "giant steel tanks".

Spirit is still stored and aged at Bow Street, though not distilled there.

BeerNut

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121758889#Comment_121758889

It must be a miniscule amount for largely marketing purposes, though.

artanevilla

There's a decent amount in there. Not industrial amounts but a fair few.

magicbastarder

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121749643#Comment_121749643

as someone else has pointed out, if it hasn't been aged in oak barrels, it's not whiskey.