1780 – John Jameson, born in Alloa Scotland in 1740 came to Dublin in the late 1770s. Four of his sons followed him into distilling in Ireland, setting up a family dynasty that was to last for generations. He died on the 3rd December, 1823 at the ripe old age of eighty-three.

JAMESON BOW ST. DISTILLERY UP AND RUNNING

Dublin was a bustling city, full of opportunity — the second largest city in Britain and Ireland; only London was larger. During this period, over one hundred breweries and distilleries were operating in Dublin. Competition was fierce, but John Jameson established a good name for himself, and the whiskey he made rose above the rest by embodying the spirt to ‘Live a bit more and fear a bit less!’ By the 1880’s Bow Street stretched over almost 6 acres of Dublin city centre.

1785 – MALT TAX

Between 1785 and 1825, the distiller paid duty on malt as well as on spirit, so naturally it was desirable to use less malt. John, keen to get one over on the taxman, began experimenting with mash bills of malted and unmalted barley. The public soon came to prefer this type of whiskey, so much that imported malt Scotch whisky was difficult to sell in Dublin, and any Dublin distiller making malt whiskey had trouble selling it.

Over the next century the distillery was taken over by Johns son & grandsons:

1804:     JOHN JAMESON II
1851:     JOHN JAMESON III
1875:     JOHN JAMESON IV
1905:     ANDREW JAMESON
1941:     GEORGE LIONEL JAMESON
1904:     EDWARD VII ROYAL ARMS

King Edward VII ascended to the throne of England in 1901, and mid-way through his short reign, John Jameson & Son was granted a Royal Warrant.

1918 – 1920

COAL SHORTAGE

A coal shortage due to WW1 affected over 800,000 people. At the same time, a deadly influenza virus broke out, which significantly impacted the distillery’s production and delivery capabilities.
Corn Shortage. For a drink that prides itself on smooth, this was one rough year. The Jameson Distillery was closed from 1917 to 1918 to the war-caused corn shortage.

BACK IN BUSINESS

After war restrictions were lifted in 1919, the distillery was granted permission to produce once again, resulting in 34 distilling cycles—the largest to date. Spirits were up again.

AMERICAN PROHIBITION

From 1920 to 1933 prohibition was enforced throughout the United States, closing off one of our most promising markets almost overnight. Six years after prohibition, World War II broke out, which saw a transatlantic shipping ban introduced, severely hampering our distribution.

1930 – BOOTLEG WHISKEY

Damage from Bootleggers and unscrupulous publicans who cut Jameson whiskey with water created long-lasting effects by tarnishing the Irish Whiskey category and its reputation for quality.

1963 – BOTTLING AT BOW STREET

It’s hard to believe that Jameson didn’t not bottle their own whiskey until 1963. The first Jameson whiskey bottled at Bow Street was launched as Crested Ten. Back then, Jameson was available in 68 markets worldwide, exporting 15,000 cases annually to the United States.

1970 – THE LAST DROPS

On 5th June 1970, the last drops of pot still whiskey were distilled at the Jameson Distillery in Bow Street, ending nearly 200 years of whiskey production in Dublin 7. It would later become our spiritual home. And later home to millions of visitors.

1972 – DISTILLERY CLOSED

The emergence and growth of Irish Whiskey meant Jameson needed a larger home for making their whiskeys. In 1975, they moved from Bow Street to Midleton, County Cork. To this day every drop of Jameson enjoyed around the world hails from here.

1997 – RETURN TO GLORY

The Old Jameson Distillery reopened as a visitor centre in 1997 after the fire that ravaged the abandoned distillery in the 1990’s and received further upgrades following a major renovation in 2007.

2018 – Jameson Distillery Bow St. was awarded the ‘World’s Leading Distillery Tour’ at the 25th World Travel Awards. A nice nod to all the Bow St. barrelmen.