Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/57654
JAMESON CONTINUES TO INSPIRE THE BARTENDER. IN FACT, IT'S A SPIRIT THAT CAN GO ANYWHERE . . . IN THIS STORY, IT'S ALL OVER LAS VEGAS Follow the by E. C. Gladstone / photos by Danielle "Deed" DeBruno Leader J ameson isn't just a popular drink, or a historic brand. In Ireland, it's practically a way of life. So when Kate Flanagan talks about telling her father back in County Louth that she'd joined the company as one of six Brand Ambassadors for the U.S., you can almost hear the emotion and pride. Despite 230 years under its belt, Jameson has seen its U.S. sales increase markedly this decade (three million cases worldwide and one million in the U.S. alone in 2011), even while faced with ever-expanding competition from American, Irish, Caribbean and other brown spirits. To experience how a venerated label stays fresh and vibrant, THE TASTING PANEL asked Flanagan to let us tag along on a typical day in her Ambassador life, visiting a variety of Jameson-friendly venues. 78 / the tasting panel / march 2012 "You have to have a lot of energy," says Flanagan, "and really like meeting people." Flanagan, 24, handles all of Colorado, Nevada and Arizona for Pernod Ricard's Irish whiskies, but Kate has spent almost her entire fi rst few months in Las Vegas—hardly surprising considering the number of venues and volume of consumption in Sin City. What does surprise, though, is Jameson's top account here: It's not a big steakhouse or cigar lounge on the Strip, but the decidedly downmarket off-Strip punk club Double Down Saloon, which moves up to three cases a week (in the nightclub world, it's The Cosmopolitan's Marquee that dominates). Flanagan will end her day there at a midnight promotion for Jameson & Ginger highballs. But there are miles to go before she gets there.