Jack Daniel's Red Dog Saloon

Delicious

Escaped surburbia to upstate New York with some old dear friends at their getaway home. He is a JD No. 7 drinker and bleeds this Tennessee whiskey. I broaden his Jack vocabulary every now and then. The JD rye. Now Red Dog. I too was curious about this as it’s seems to be relatively positive. From the Crayola catalog of colors, this pours to the color of Burnt Sienna. Of course, as expected, the signature Jack Daniels banana nose begins the nose. Rye notes intermingle; banana-rye bread. Dill, pickle brine with a touch of nutmeg. A steady cinnamon brown sugar sweetness hovers in the background stabilizes and maintains a consistency. Vanilla cream, apple crumb pie, pine cones or saw dust (or some soft wood) and peanut brittle. A nice, busy nose the needs time for these aromas to expose themselves. A medium weight body that brings with it a spicy sweetness. Cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves (your standard baking spices) with vanilla cream soda. As it draws towards the finish, some charcoal flavor pulls forward with a black pepper tingle. A slightly wood drying finish, again, with vanilla and caramel. This all lasts for a medium length of time. A solid offering from Jack Daniels. It’s not a deep thinker but a good social sipper. Maybe this should be the standard? The beefed up alcohol at 43% provides some strength and backing. A good nose, a simple middle offering and a medium finish. A good, simple sipping bourbon. [85/100][Tasted: 2/15/19][$39]

Jack Daniel's Red Dog bottling is a limited run product commemorating 125 years since the opening of one of two of Mr Daniel's saloons of the same name in Lynchburg Tennessee, the other being the White Rabbit. It seems not much is known about this mysterious saloon other than folklore as it doesn't exist today, nor are there photographs. Red Dog is a slightly higher proof at 43% ABV than No 7, and other than the higher ABV not much else is known about how the product differs in production or quality from standard JD, which I'm not the biggest fan of personally. On the Red Dog bottle you get a rather elegant gold accented label which looks great. Also each bottle comes with a "Limited Bottling Number" on the back of the bottle where it can be registered on the JD website, and a nice certificate of ownership can then be printed with your name on it. Nice touch! So will this limited edition and higher proof be worthy of its mysterious name and limited run? Let's give it a go and see if this Red Dog can hunt! Enjoyed neat in a Glencairn, no added water. The nose immediately presents as more interesting, rich, and more complex than No 7. I'm getting sweet cinnamon roll, rich vanilla cream, with cherry and banana on top of light cedar or pine plank. The smell is just a bit reminiscent of one of my favorites, Wild Turkey 101. Not a bad start for this expression! On the palate it is a bit thin and watery on entry, but still packs a good kick. Starts mildly sweet with more signature Daniel's banana like No 7, but kicked up a notch, and warming heat with a bit less spice than the nose would suggest but still present. A bit of grain and cornbread comes through also with toasted oak. Finish is short to moderate with lingering toasted oak and sugars, vanilla, some honey. Overall definitely better than your standard ubiquitous No 7, but not really a standout whiskey at its $30 price point. Honestly there are plenty of other $30 bottles (or cheaper) I'd rather acquire first, such as Dickel 12, Elijah Craig, McKenna 10, Beam Distiller's Cut, Eagle Rare, or Russell's Reserve 10 to name a few. I think if you're already a big fan of JD then you would be pleased with the additional flavors and higher proof from Red Dog. And I imagine collectors of the JD brand would want this and it's sister bottle White Rabbit as memorabilia. Honestly as far as JD product goes, it's probably one of their better in recent times at this price point. I'd pick it any day over No 7 or Gentleman. Not a disappointing buy but nothing overly special about it. Cheers!