Jack Daniel's Gentleman Jack

Nose: Banana flambé in brown sugar, nail polish, vanilla, a hint of cherry syrup and a little oak. Palate: Sweet, smooth arrival turning quickly spicy and slightly aggressive. Popcorn, bananas in syrup. The body is light but the mouthfeel slightly creamy, which is pleasant, however it seems two-dimensional. Finish: Short. Brown sugar and banana. There is a note of coconut in the aftertaste and once you have noticed it there you also detect it in the palate on subsequent tastes. This does not have the depth of character you want in a sipping whisky and while the nose is well defined the palate is thin. Adding water just dilutes it without bringing anything notable forward. However, dilution with a sweet soft drink like Coke, lemonade or dry ginger ale is a different story as that fills in the gaps in the palate, creating a more enjoyable and balanced drink. In particular, when it’s diluted with Coke I noticed a pleasant apple flavour that I'd missed initially. A dash of bitters also seems to work magic with this whiskey (and with all Jack Daniels) but in the end I can't shake the sensation that what I'm smelling and tasting here is just essence of toasted American oak and sugar-maple carried in an ethanol and water solution. At first I didn’t think much of this whiskey but as I worked my way through the bottle over a fortnight, using it exclusively in long drinks, I came to enjoy it. It's not very interesting but neither is it unpleasant when used as a mixer, and it certainly has less of the prominent, thick sweetness of Jack Daniels Old No. 7. "Average" : 79/100 (2.75 stars)

Mais, caramel, pear