TikTok Unearthed An Allegedly Terrifying Tale About The Jameson Whiskey Family

Correction 1/18/2023: A previous version of this article stated that the founder of Jameson Irish Whiskey was James Jameson. The founder's name was John Jameson. 

You never want to hear that your favorite brands have dark pasts, but depending on when they were founded, it's a possibility their roots should be called into question. When 7-Up first hit markets in 1929, it went by Bib-Label Lithiated Lemon-Lime Soda, and as you might have caught from its original name, the soda contained lithium citrate, which is commonly used to treat bipolar mania and depression (per McGill). Another popular soda brand, Fanta was by all means the official soft drink of Nazi, Germany during World War II, via Atlas Obscura. Its ingredients were questionable at best, but still, it served as a symbol of nationalism to those who consumed it.

Perhaps even stranger is the history of graham crackers. According to Smithsonian Magazine, founder Sylvester Graham felt that sexual desires were sinful, thus creating the crumbly treats to curve consumers' sex drives. None of these stories hold a candle to the presumed history of Jameson, which is so disturbing that when TikTokers got ahold of it, they couldn't help but spread the word.

TikTok user daisyfoko shared a story to the platform regarding James Jameson — great-great-grandson to Jameson whiskey's founder John Jameson and heir to the fortune — who allegedly had an encounter with cannibalism in the Democratic Republic of Congo. "Everybody else who was on the trip said that when they got [to the Democratic Republic of Congo], James Jameson expressed that he wanted to see a girl be cannibalized," she said in the video, adding that Jameson was the only one who refuted these claims. Reportedly, Jameson paid a man six handkerchiefs to watch such an event happen, and began sketching images of the incident as it occurred. "She was tied to a tree and those inside the hut began slicing pieces off of her and eating them," she said.

TikTok users were understandably mortified by this story. "Wait so not only was he insane but also ppl just went along w the request and ate her alive?? Who does that?" one comment read. One TikTok user said they'd no longer be visiting the distillery on their upcoming vacation. "Me canceling my tickets to tour the Jameson factory tour when I'm in Ireland."

Snopes, however, gave this story a mixed rating due to a slew of conflicting details. As with anything, the event isn't so cut and dry, and it's important to hear the full story before jumping to sudden conclusions.

According to the fact-checking website Snopes, while parts of this story are confirmed true, James Jameson's intentions might not have been as told. It's true that Jameson watched on as a child was mutilated and cannibalized in the Democratic Republic of Congo, though he claimed he had no idea of what was to occur. "[The event was] the most horribly sickening sight I am ever likely to see in my life," he said. However, it's also true that he paid a man six handkerchiefs after the man said, "Give me a bit of cloth and see." Additionally, translator Assad Farran, accounted the events as true, claiming Jameson wished to see such an incident. He was also accused of drawing pictures of the tortured girl, which he denied. "The whole thing happened so quickly that, had I wished, I could not have sketched it, and I had nothing with me to sketch with," he said. He did admit that he sketched drawings later in the evening.

Cannibalism still exists in many places in the world. In a 2016 report from the former Mai Mai Morgan group, a militia situated in the Democratic Republic of Congo, cannibalism was still practiced (via Yahoo). Furthermore, New Guinea tribes still partake in flesh-eating activities, and those in Fiji ended the practices not too long ago. There's no way to know what happened on James Jameson's trip for sure, but this information should help you with your individual take.