Jack Daniel's Single Barrel Select

This whiskey's main flavor profile is the barrel and the corn. It's not oaky, but char. It's a good flavor but it's a little overwhelming in this bottle. It's very smooth compared to other Jack Daniel's, but not a lot going on. Not bad, not great.

Smells sweeter than it tastes. There’s a bitterness that keeps the sweetness from overpowering the palate. I like it.

Filled: 2-22-17 Barrel No. 17-1007 Rick No. L-27 —//— On the nose I’m already picking up that fresh baked banana bread aroma in the air, in the glass I’m getting a lot of charcoal, smoky caramel, oak wood, melted butter, vanilla, cinnamon, brown sugar, toasted barley malt and sweet overripe banana. - To the palate it is very sharp, hot alcoholic warmth, then sweet corn, spicy rye, dry oak, savory butter, vanilla caramel, cinnamon, dusty pepper, dried herbs and slight citrus. - In the finish I’m getting lacquer thinner, wet wood, wood glue, rye grass, black pepper, slight maple sap and cigar ash. — With water the nose becomes their classic bananas and glue with a touch of caramel. Less sharp on the palate, but more herbal and complex spice. The finish still feels like thinner and sour wood. — With more water I get sawdust on the nose, cane juice and maple filtered water to the palate and nothing in the finish. —//— Bourbon Mark: 84 —//— Tasting side by side with the 2013 barrel, I feel like that one was more mature and has a more balanced sweetness with more complex spice notes. — They are very similar, but my first impressions of this new bottle were that it was very harsh and needed a lot of water to be palatable. It has been a couple months now... Oxidation helps. — I can’t discount the fact the older bottle has been open for 5 years, which makes a difference. I still would recommend it, but give it time to open up. It’s not my favorite.