JAMESON IRISH WHISKEY HISTORY & TOUR
It is said that God created whiskey so the Irish wouldn’t rule the world. You know, there is some truth to that! You can’t spend much time thinking about Ireland without having Irish Whiskey come to mind, and when you think about Irish Whiskey, most would think about the undisputed, worldwide, best-selling Irish Whiskey, Jameson. The word “whiskey” comes from a Gaelic word that means “water of life”. Perhaps once when you were enjoying some of this “water” you wondered what Jameson’s story was. The family motto is Sine Metu, which means “without fear” and was awarded to the family in the 1500s for their bravery fighting pirates. With a motto like that, it’s easy to understand how this family found enormous success.
I want to say that, yes, I know this article is a bit different than most of the ones that we do at Family Tree Nuts. We are all about history, why are we talking about whiskey? Well a huge percentage of us claim Irish heritage, and pretty much all of us do on March 17th. Why not tell the story of one of the biggest things associated with our island? If you found this article because of your interest in whiskey, we invite you to check out our website and YouTube channel which if full of hundreds of history videos from all over the country, and like this one, a few other countries. Now back to the whiskey!
We recently visited Ireland, we just had to swing by Jameson. In this article, I’ll start off by giving some of the basic backstory and history about Jameson. I’ll tell you about the company’s leadership and how it became the best-selling of all Irish Whiskey brands. Then, we will take you on the tour of the Bow Street Distillery, and describe the sights. If you click the video below, you can see them yourself and most of the tour is narrated by our tour guide, and my pal, Gavin Owens. You won’t want to miss Gavin’s passion for his job and his extreme pride in being a Barrelman.
It all started with a man with a dream, the patriarch of the brand, John Jameson I. Jameson was born in Alloa, Scotland in 1740 and he was a lawyer by trade. He married Margaret Haig, the daughter of John Haig, the famous whiskey distiller in Scotland. He came to Dublin in the early 1770s and joined the Dublin Freemasons in 1774. Four of his sons came with him and began distilling whiskey and even competed against their father and brothers. One of the Jameson brothers, Andrew, was the grandfather of Guglielmo Marconi, the inventor of wireless telegraphy!
The Bow Street Brewery was founded in 1780 and at that time over one hundred breweries and distilleries were in Dublin. In the next hundred years, the Bow Street Distillery grew to almost 6 acres. John Jameson died on December 3, 1823 but passed the leadership of the operation to his son John Jameson II, In 1804. John II carried notebooks where he jotted down experimental recipes and general notes about the goings on of the operation. These notebooks have become very valuable and have documented the history of Jameson.
The next up to lead Jameson was, John Jameson III, who took over in 1851. John III had attended the prestigious Trinity College, as well as serving in Dublin as a Justice of the Peace, and High Sheriff. By the 1870s the distillery was a city within a city with hundreds of workers such as coopers, carpenters, blacksmiths, painters, and stone masons. In 1875, John Jameson IV took control of the company and was the last of the direct sons of John Jameson I, to do so. John IV was also a Justice of the Peace and a High Sheriff, but in addition he was a Commissioner for Irish Lights, who were a group of men in charge with managing the lighthouses in Ireland.
Did you know that the distilling process put off so much heat, that at the Bow Street Distillery it warmed up the bricks of an exterior wall, and around the dawn of the twentieth century, many downtrodden Dubliners sat against the walls to stay warm? John Jameson IV did not have any children, so in 1905, the leadership of the company passed to his first-cousin The Right Honorable Andrew Jameson, who was a grandson of John Jameson II. Andrew also served as High Sheriff of County Dublin, Chairman of the Irish Lights Commission, Governor of the Bank of Ireland, President of the Dublin Chamber of Commerce, and eventually became a Senator in the Irish Free State.
Another event of note was the 1916 Easter Rising that began the Irish rebellion that lead to Ireland’s Independence from the United Kingdom. During the chaos, a sniper was positioned on the roof of Jameson. The workforce remained safe during this event. World War I created coal and corn shortages and the distillery was forced to close from 1917-1918. When Jameson reopened in 1919, they experienced a boom in business and didn’t skip a beat. In 1927 the famous Barrelman was created. You will find him embossed on the glass and various other places. All those who are employed by Jameson take pride in having the title of Barrelman, which represents the hard work, dedication, love and spirit that is put into the making of such a fine product.
In 1941 another Jameson took command. George Lionel Jameson, another cousin of Andrew, and the great-grandson of John Jameson II. George also was a Captain in the Royal Engineers and saw action in South Africa during the Boer War. In 1961, the last direct descendant of the Jameson family took over as leader of Jameson. Alexander “Aleck” C. Crichton was the grandson of the former leader Andrew Jameson and the great-great-grandson of John Jameson II. Aleck was also the last to use the onsite sleeping quarters for the master distillers.
Jameson ceased the production of whiskey at the Bow Street Distillery on June 5, 1970, almost 200 years from when it started there! The distilling operations were moved to Midleton, County Cork, Ireland where it is produced to this day. The old Bow Street buildings began to crumble and in 1990 a tremendous fire damaged the historic site. By 1997 a visitor’s center was opened and upgraded in 2007, and continues to be improved upon. In 2018 Jameson Bow Street was awarded the “World’s Leading Distillery Tour”, at the 25th World Travel Awards.
Speaking of the distillery tour, it’s time to talk about that!
To get to the entrance, you can go through the main gate on New Church Street, or from Smithfield Square you can pass through a few tight walkways between buildings. In the court yard you will see the giant copper still. Next you pass by the friendly guard at the door and head straight back to the ticket counter. Make sure you don’t lose your way since you have to pass through the bar to get there. From here, you will be led upstairs and greeted by your tour guide. While you wait for your tour to begin be sure to have a look around all the displays and if you don’t have enough time, Sine Metu, without fear, you will be able to come back here after your tour.
When it’s time for your tour your guide will call you into the first room. Here they will greet you and do a spectacular presentation about the history of Jameson. In the video below you can hear Gavin give his presentation about the history of Jameson.
The next room your guide will take you to is designed to tell the story of how Jameson is made and the different flavors. If you click on the video below, Gavin will tell more of this story.
Now that you’ve gotten your Jameson education, it’s time to go to most folk’s favorite part of the tour, the tasting room! Gavin gives a detailed presentation in the video below.
Another tip is if you visit Bow Street with folks that don’t like whiskey, there is more to be left over that can’t be wasted. Like most tours, this one ends in the gift shop where you will certainly want to pick up a few items. You can even get your own private bottle made there. Finally, on the way out is the spectacular bar, decorated with the brilliant green bottles that Jameson is known for. Here you can see many parts of the historic building.
By the way, be sure to see our article and video about the history and tour of Ireland’s number one beverage, Guinness beer! Like this one, is packed with information and views of the city of Dublin from the 360-degree bar on the top floor of the Guinness Storehouse. Also, I’ve got a question for you, which is better, Irish whiskey, Scotch whiskey, or good old Kentucky bourbon? Be sure to leave your comments below!
So, there you have it, a brief history and tour of the historic Jameson Bow Street Distillery. The number one Irish whiskey in the world. We should always strive to live our lives by the Jameson family motto, Sine Metu, without fear. Be sure to see our video from Jameson below.
– Col. Russ Carson, Jr./Founder, Family Tree Nuts