Jack Daniels Tennessee Whiskey - Single Barrel Select
Nose: This has a very deep and rich smell, but it isn’t strong or overwhelming. It really doesn’t smell all that much like the regular Jack Daniels, so if you drink a lot of Jack, you probably won’t find it all that familiar. It is pretty light and has a dry (but not musty) character. Palate: The first sip had an “earthy” quality to it. It is sort of dry, but with a hint of a rich sweetness to it. It has a decent amount of warmth. It isn’t intense heat, but rather a lengthy warming that lasts a while and let’s you know it is there throughout your sip. On the second sip, I actually thought I tasted a hint of charcoal. I know what you are going to say…..well it IS charcoal filtered, after all. Yes, but although I don’t drink regular Jack that much, I’ve never picked up on charcoal in the taste. Maybe what I’m getting is a woodiness it has….although it it didn’t come across as oak to me. Yeah, I know….what the hell does that mean? Later sips seemed sweeter to me. Maybe I was getting used to the combination of the warmth and the woodiness? Both the mouthfeel and the finish seemed squarely in the middle of the spectrum. On the final sips, I started getting some dark molasses and a bit of dark chocolate, but it still came across as dry. Comments: Although I don’t dislike it and wouldn’t turn it down if offered, I’ve never been a huge “regular” Jack Daniels fan. That said, I’ve had several JD single barrel selections which I liked very much. Of the ones I’ve had and like, this particular one would not be at the top of the list. That said, it is still pretty good and I’d pick it over the regular Jack Daniels every day. But, if you think about it, that makes sense. Jack Daniels is one of the most recognized whiskey tastes in the world. Those poor master distillers have to blend their barrels to get that consistent taste ALL THE TIME. For these single barrels, you get the uniqueness of the barrel without the necessity of blending to achieve a constant. I think that’s why I like these Jack Daniels single barrels so much and keep trying them. I’d also think I might pick it over some lesser bourbons. I got this one at as a liquor store pick. I’ll be honest, I bought it because I was both curious AND because they had growler fills of one of the best beers I’ve ever had the pleasure to taste, Yuengling Hershey’s Chocolate Porter. I LOVE that beer and they treated me very well in the store, so I pulled the trigger on their Jack single barrel selection. So….what I need to do now (well, not RIGHT now….but some time in the future) is taste this JD Single Barrel against some other ones to see how similar/dissimilar they are.
