The Jameson family motto of “Sine Metu”, meaning “Without Fear” appears on every bottle of Jameson Whiskey distilled today. This has been John Jameson’s guiding philosophy since the founding of the Dublin Distillery in 1780.
Jameson set new standards in the distillation of whiskey. Discovering that certain strains of barley made better whiskey than others, he persuaded local farmers to grow the desired strains. He did this by providing them with seed each spring. Combining superior barley strains with the finest casks, and the latest industrial processes resulted in tremendous growth. By 1820, John Jameson & Sons had become the second largest distilling company in Ireland. Demand was increasing, both at home, and abroad.
Blight destroyed the vineyards of France in 1858, practically eliminating the supply of brandy. People began switching from brandy to Irish whiskey, and sales began to soar. However, in 1919, the introduction of Prohibition in the US basically destroyed one of the larger export markets for Jameson. Additionally, a consequence of Irish Independence was a hefty tariff on Irish whiskey sold in the British Empire. This tariff effectively priced Jameson out of the marketplace.
As a result of these cruel blows, there were only four distilleries remaining in Ireland by 1966. To ensure the survival of Irish whiskey, John Jameson & Sons and the order three distilleries joined forces, and formed Irish Distillers.
Jameson Irish Whiskey remains one of the fastest growing whiskeys over 220 years after it was first distilled. John Jameson’s standards and principles continue to thrive in the fine, smooth whiskey that still bears his name.
