Jameson Distiller’s Safe Irish Whiskey

Jameson Distiller’s Safe Irish Whiskey is Brian Nation’s Makers Series tribute to the spirit safe — the glass box where Midleton new make is cut from the still. He kept wood quiet on purpose: pot still and grain whiskey only, with no malt whiskey in the vatting, all first-fill ex-bourbon, components around four to seven years, bottled at 86 proof without chill-filtration. Barley sugar and citrus stay out in front because the barrels were never asked to shout. It is a clean weeknight pour.

Floral herbs and barley sugar meet grapefruit, green pepper, and marzipan on the nose. The sip runs cinnamon and liquorice into mandarin orange and ground almond, light and zesty, with barley returning late. Mouthfeel is creamy rather than heavy; melon and cut grass from the distillate keep it lively.