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St Patrick’s Day with Jameson in pictures
Hosted by some of the leading names at Pernod Ricard’s Irish whiskey arm, Irish Distillers, The Spirits Business enjoyed a plethora of tours, tastings and masterclasses as part of an immersive introduction to the city’s creative industries. On Wednesday 15 March guests assembled in St Patrick’s Cathedral where artist Steve McCarthy, pictured, revealed the inspiration behind his limited edition bottle design. The handshake on the bottle signifies the story behind the Door of Reconciliation, from which the Irish phrase ‘to chance your arm’ was derived.
After a welcome cocktail, guests were treated to a three-course dinner inside the cathedral walls, prepared by Ted Burner of Wildside Catering.
The night ended with an interactive cocktail session in the nearby Liquor Rooms. Pictured is the Potent Potable, which comprised Jameson Black Barrel, ginger, apricot, spiced porter syrup, and chocolate bitters.
The group kick-started the following day with an Irish Coffee Masterclass in Jameson’s very own prohibition bar, The Butcher’s. The image above shows Annie Hayes, news, web and social editor at The Spirits Business, mastering the serve, which combines Jameson, medium roasted espresso coffee, demerara and muscovado sugar syrup, lightly whipped double cream and grated nutmeg.
After a potent pick-me-up, guests enjoyed a ‘Smithfield Safari’ – a walking tour of one of the city’s most vibrant quarters, where some of the city’s key creative influencers including coffee experts, street artists, djs, photographers and vintage store owners shared their stories. Bottle designer McCarthy joined part of the trip, inviting the group to explore his first studio space, Monster Truck. The walkabout encompassed one of Dublin’s oldest and most historic areas, St Patrick’s Cathedral, close to which lies Marsh’s Library – a perfectly preserved scholar’s library, established in 1707 and virtually unchanged since.
After a spot of lunch, the group headed to Dublin Bar Academy for a blending lab session hosted by with head blender Billy Leighton, pictured above. The group was invited to create their own 200ml blend, selecting the proportions of Double Charred Bourbon barrel pot still Irish whiskey, Bourbon barrel first fill grain Irish whiskey, and Sherry butt first fill pot still Irish whiskey.
The group were shown how to craft personalised labels for their own bottle through leatherwork, before enjoying a nourishing three course meal in Fadestreet Social by Dylan McGrath.
With full bellies, guests headed over to The Academy for Jameson’s Bow St. Sessions – a series of live performances celebrating unexpected and original collaborations in music. Epic performances from Nathaniel Rathliffe & The Night Sweats, All Tvvins and Brian Deadey ensured revellers entered the early hours of St Patrick’s Day with a bang, and the party continued in JJ’s Bar with an after show party with DJ Aidan Kelly.
Earlier in March, Irish Distillers re-opened the doors to Jameson’s Dublin-based visitor centre, now called Jameson Distillery Bow Street, following an €11 million investment. What better way to kick of St Paddy’s Day than with The Bow Street Experience tasting tour, which focuses on Jameson’s heritage and ongoing innovations?
After an interactive guided tour that spanned history, production and flavour, guests enjoyed a comparative whiskey tasting led by Jameson’s head distiller, Brian Nation. Rather than taste-test Jameson against its Irish cousins, the liquid was presented alongside a Scotch whisky and an American whiskey.
Historically, company founder John Jameson had a tradition of rewarding his workers with a glass of Jameson each day, known as ‘daily grog’, and this tradition lives on through the visitor experience. After collecting the brand’s Jameson, Ginger and Lime serve at the end of the tour, guests gathered for an interactive cooperage demonstration by head cooper, Ger Buckley. While expertly dismantling and reassembling a barrel, Buckley shared fascinating tricks, tips and tales from his experiences.
Though the trip was drawing to a close, the party, however, was far from over. In The Jameson Hub, live music acts, tastings, screen printing, craft demonstrations and games entertained whiskey lovers long into the evening. Sláinte!