Jack Daniel's Single Barrel Barrel Proof Tennessee Whiskey

Assessed in a Glencairn spirits nosing glass. Aroma - Neat - Dry tannins, immediate reminded of a Cabernet Sauvignon characteristic, Maple, slight Canadian bacon, light brown sugar and faint polished wooden floors. Adding a splash of water . . . Getting some tangy aromas now, black berry cobbler, key lime pie and more pronounced wood. Taste - Neat - Very hot as imagined, very robust rum cake, cherry, slight rye spice, bubble gum and plantain banana on the exhale. Adding a splash of water . . . That’s the ticket. Maple, sophisticated oak and cherry chewing gum. I’m finding a LOT of resemblances to Blanton’s here! Final thoughts - Dillute this one well! I ended up adding about 3 splashes of water before this one smoothed out. Spend some time with it, this ain’t your Old No.7 Black label! As a self proclaimed hater of Jack Daniel’s (based solely upon my experience with Old No.7), this has totally opened my eyes to Jack Daniel’s more refined expressions and I find myself now considering the purchase of that Sinatra Select. Definitely out of the ordinary and highly recommended!

This tasting is coming from a Wine & Beyond store pick, specifically barrel #20-20111 which was bottled on Nov 2, 2020. The nose is warm and subtle, delivering brown sugar and molasses up front, and charred cherries and oak out back. These are some of the classics I was expecting. While the ethanol isn’t too prominent initially, if you sit with this long enough and keep exploring, it will jump out occasionally and bite you. The palate comes to play a bit harder then the nose with that uncut proof. First sip is an explosion of citrus, baking spices and heat, quickly carried to all the tastebuds thanks to a good amount of oil. Some maillard reaction sweetness comes next, reminding me of a charred barrel stave dipped in toffee. Then things settle down with soft leather and cereal notes, gently bringing you to the finish. That finish is medium in length, with a decent lingering warmth that leaves you with peppery oak tannins and some bitter orange rind. Overall a really good bourbon (Ok, Tennessee whiskey) that has a quiet nose, loud palate and somewhere in-between finish. Here in Alberta there aren’t too many good CS under 100 so if you see this for a good price snag it.

Neat in glencairn. Incredible amber appearance. Strong vanilla and caramel when you creep past the high ethanol nose. Nice burn that sticks around for a while. Could use a drop or two of water.

Hot. Nose: Carmel, butterscotch and vanilla. Taste: spice, vanilla. Finish: same. Long.

Has a slightly oaky aroma but no alcohol heat smell. Tasting yields some cherry and vanilla along with a moderate oak taste. Has some heat in the end of the palate but still pretty easy to drink. Store pick from Las Vegas.

High end Jack. For all intents and purposes, this is Jack Bourbon. And a damn good one. You ever watch wrestling and the crowd cheers “this is awesome!” Well that’s how I feel about this. Love it. Don’t not get it because it says Jack Daniels. You would be a fool to pass on it.