Jameson reveals distillery’s hidden stories
From surprising connections to US presidents to centuries-old whiskey-making traditions, Ireland’s distilleries are steeped in more than just spirits.
It takes a glimpse into the craftsmanship, culture and character that have helped make Jameson Irish whiskey into one of the world’s most celebrated exports
As interest in premium drinks experiences continues to grow and thanks to this year’s Dublin Cocktail Week, one iconic Dublin distillery is lifting the cask lid on some of its most surprising fun facts – including family ties to a famous inventor, historic milestones and the stories behind the barrels.
It takes a glimpse into the craftsmanship, culture and character that have helped make Jameson Irish whiskey into one of the world’s most celebrated exports, giving visitors and whiskey fans alike a new reason to raise a glass to Ireland.
• The iconic green Jameson bottle made its first appearance in 1968 and its colours – green, maroon and cream – are based on stained glass panels in the doors at the Bow Street distillery.
• Back in the day, the large amounts of grain on site meant there was a problem with mice. Archives show that cats were kept on the payroll at Bow Street to tackle the problem! And they were paid in milk. The last cat employed at Bow Street was called Smithy. The Jameson cats had such a great reputation as mousers that householders who spotted a mouse would come to the Distillery looking for a kitten, as they were renowned mousers. In July 1909, 12 shillings and 9 pence were spent on food for the distillery cats who patrolled the grain stores, keeping everything vermin-free.
• The iconic Jameson Barrelman, who first made his appearance on their bottles in 1927, symbolises the team that’s needed to make the whiskey, and that’s why it’s still on bottles today.
• Guglielmo Marconi, the inventor of radio communication, was the younger son of Annie Jameson of Daphne Castle, Co. Wexford.
She was a granddaughter of John Jameson founder of the Jameson Distillery.
Her father, Andrew Jameson, one of the 16 children of John Jameson, had moved from Dublin to Wexford.
This means Guglielmo Marconi was John Jameson’s great grandson.
• Jameson was the favourite drink of Irish writer James Joyce. JJ referred to his books as ‘Jem’s sons’, a pun on Jameson. Such puns crop up throughout his writing.
• Dublin, and especially the area around the Bow Street Distillery was notorious for the wretched standards of living for the poorer in society. Even people with employment lived in unsanitary tenements.
Like other employers of their day Jameson tried to help by building and letting good quality and sanitary houses for some employees.
These were built on Bow Street in the late 19th century. Number 18 Bow Street was the home of the D’Arcy family, one member of which still works for the company today.
• One of the giants of the world of Irish Whiskey distilling, Andrew Jameson (1855 – 1941), a great grandson of the Bow Street founder John Jameson, was the 4th generation of his family to run the Jameson Distillery. An internationally respected businessman, he counted US President Teddy Roosevelt amongst his close friends. He met Teddy and his bother Elliot when he took a ‘Gap Year’ from university in the 1870’s and went to have an adventure in Texas. He met up with the Roosevelts and camped and hunted with them and remained lifelong friends.
• Historically the area around Bow Street was quite impoverished, and homelessness was an issue. In bad times, the homeless in Dublin City who could not afford to go to the nearby ‘Stick foots’ Lodging House would huddle outside the main wall of Bow Street Distillery where the heat from the boilers within offered some level of comfort. It became well known around Dublin as ‘The Hot Wall’.
• The still house men at the Old Jameson Distillery used to bring a caddy of water to cook fish in for lunch. They used the same water to make their tea!
The Directors were slightly better off, prior to having a dining room of their own it was their habit to send a messenger boy out to local hostelry’s and bring back pork pies which would be sliced up and eaten.
After 1889 a dining room and kitchen was added, and lunch then consisted of hot mutton on Mondays with cold mutton the rest of the week washed down with a tot of whiskey and biscuits and marmalade for dessert.
