Jameson unveils Wild Sloe Berry Bitters

by Annie Hayes

Jameson has introduced its first ever bitters offering, Wild Sloe Berry Bitters, made from "hand-foraged" Irish sloes.

Unveiled at Tales of the Cocktail 2015, the new offering has been created by the innovation team at the Midleton Distillery, County Cork, which was headed up by Master of Whiskey Science, David Quinn. Quinn created a sloe berry distillate, which was then slowly matured with Jameson Irish Whiskey and a bitters mix including wormwood, gentian and ginseng. Each bottle of Jameson Wild Sloe Berry Bitters is crafted using “hand-foraged” organic Prunus Spinosa sloes from Lough Corrib and Lough Mask in Ireland, which have been collected by a local expert forager. Brendan Buckley, global innovation and category development director at Irish Distillers, said: “Over the years, the world’s leading bartenders have used Jameson as a key building block in the creation of new cocktail styles and drinking rituals, and we are constantly working to develop exciting new concepts that ignite the creativity of leading mixologists. “We are very excited by the launch of Jameson Wild Sloe Berry Bitters as it goes to the heart of what Jameson stands for – authentic, modern Irish produce that creates a great taste experience. We look forward to introducing Jameson Bitters to bartenders around the world in the coming months and seeing the exciting array of Jameson drinks being made available through the on-trade to consumers, who are thirsty for innovation, variety and authenticity.” The bitters are bottled at 46% abv, and will be available at bar shows and cocktail festivals throughout the year, including Moscow Bar Show, London Cocktail and Athens Bar Show. Earlier this year, Jameson gave Irish whiskey fans the opportunity to hand fill their own bottle at the brand’s visitor centres in Dublin and Cork.