Jack Daniel's Tennessee Straight Rye

Smooth with a light rye flavor

I was pleasantly surprised. I found it to much dryer then the Jim Beam offerings. Smooth even flavor with a crisp finish.

Based on some pretty solid reviews, I grabbed a bottle of this straight rye from Jack Daniels. This is not the single barrel version, as the local liquor store I was at didn’t have it. Bottled at 45% ABV, this is a natural color of dark copper and it is most likely chill filtered. Strong rye and oak on the nose up front. The ever present bananas and walnuts found in all JD whiskies soon takes center stage. Caramel corn, candy corn and toffee move in, never quite overtaking the bananas. Mint and dill in just the right amount for my tastes. It’s somewhat bitter and I got a metallic note and oddly enough a whiff of chlorine which faded fast. Sweet and spicy. Buttered rye toast. More and more bananas and walnuts. A fairly sweet palate with bananas all over the place. Walnuts, corn, rye and oak. Mildly spicy. Dill, caramel and butterscotch. A rather simplistic palate, but I’m guessing this is a fairly young rye. Medium bodied mouthfeel, a little thin feeling and dry. Medium long finish with, you guessed it, bananas, walnuts and rye. As much as I don’t want to admit it, this is a good whiskey. I’ve had the Old #7, Gentleman Jack, Single Barrel and that weird cider stuff and in my opinion, and it’s just that, this is the only JD worth drinking neat. It’s pretty good with a little ice too. It’s not too complex, but it’s good in its simplicity. Like all JDs though, it’s a bit overpriced. Paid $30 for it, but I think it should be sub $25. As it is, it’s still worth buying. My hat’s off to you on this one Mr. Daniels. 3.75 Cheers