Last week, Arlene Hanratty, Client Service Director and Iwere invited to the Jameson Academy. It took place in the OldJameson Distillery in the beautiful surroundings of Midleton, County Cork. We toured the Old Distillery, walking over cobblestones and through buildings some dating back to 1795. It gave us a real appreciation for how hard distilling was before more modern technology came in.We were then brought through the modern distillation process. Jameson is triple distilled to give it a smoother taste and it is mind-boggling the sheer amount of work that goes in to every bottle.

Our favourite part of the Academy was when we got to taste some of the whiskey. Especially when we were brought to one of the warehouses for a cask tasting. Each warehouse holds 33,000 casks of whiskey. Getting to open and then taste some whiskey straight from a cask (one of which was 21 years old!) was a unique experience.

During the Academy we got to meet some of the master craftsmen who have worked in the distillery for over 40 years (Master Distiller Barry Crocket was actually born in the distillery  – find out more about him here: http://www.jamesonwhiskey.com/Distillery/Meet-the-Distillery-Masters.aspx ) and in some cases are fifth generation distillery workers (Master Cooper Ger Buckley http://www.jamesonwhiskey.com/Distillery/Meet-the-Distillery-Masters/Master-Cooper.aspx?lang=en-GB ) . Their knowledge and passion for the art of whiskey making was infectious.

We came away from the Jameson Academy with a deeper understanding of the art of distillation and the rich heritage of Irish whiskey making as well as to how to make the perfect Irish coffee!

Donal O'Higgins - Copywriter

Donal has a MSC in Advertising from DIT and knows how to use it. He enjoys using the letters m, s, c and the rest of the alphabet to create work for clients such as Jameson, Paddy Power and Setanta Sports. He is an ICAD Upstart participant, a world champion fencer and prone to exaggeration.