Barrel house: 2-29 Barrel number: 23-01721 Bottling date: 03MAR2023 ABV: 63.35% Now this is just plain neat. Firstly, it's awesome that Jack Daniel's offers both a proofed down and cask strength single barrel with no frills, and that they include barrel information on the label (a shockingly sparse feature in most American whiskey today). Second, the price points of both are very refreshing, and the distribution is very plentiful. I had only recently heard of the cask strength version of this single barrel, and it was right before a co-worker of mine was making a training trip down to the Nashville, TN area. I asked him to keep an eye out for this particular product while he was there, but as he gave up the drink decades ago, I didn't have high hopes on him searching. Funny enough, in just a few days time after he departed, I had probably seen this bottle for sale in half a dozen local liquor stores, most of which were not known for carrying niche or craft spirits. In all that, I had to think if it was just Jack Daniel's or the Tennessee whiskey genre in general that has their shit together, as most other American whiskey distilleries cling to allocation and hyper-small batching and aging. Remember: the best whiskey to buy is the one you can ACTUALLY buy, i.e. that's actually on a shelf. The color of the actual spirit is beautiful, like a deep chestnut brown, while the eyes draw towards the gold labeling, which is a perfect visual accent. The nose starts with decent ethanol, slightly less than expected based on the proof, while the sweet oak leads the charge. The sweetness smells more generic, like plain sugar as opposed to the classic vanilla or caramel, which pairs nicely with the underripe banana note below this one. Jack Daniel's usually has such a distinct charcoal scent, but the barrel proof really calms this down; although still present, the nutty, bitter charcoal that's expected is now very minute. The body here is quite hot, and requires some decent acclimation before the flavors come through, but I am also noticing quite the oily texture surfacing, although more towards the finish. Around all the hot air, the banana really coats the mouth, as well as some fresh cherry shortly behind it. The oak is calmer and more pure here; less sweetness in lieu of astringency and floral notes, but this compliments the full-bodied fruit from before, as opposed to competing with it. The charcoal flavor has been here the whole time, it simply tastes different (less nuttiness and more floral) and is approached from a new perspective at this proof level, or perhaps simply in this barrel. The oiliness needs to be mentioned once more, just because it's this quality above all others that separates standard Jack Daniel's and this very high proof version. Sure, the different single barrels impart different complexities each time, but this cask strength is a unique and lovely perspective of this popular Tennessee whiskey. If you're a fan of Jack Daniel's and wish they were more into the craft side or had something with more depth than good ol' No. 7, absolutely go for the single barrel. Be wary with the cask strength, as the potency could turn off some that aren't used to this level. Still, as you can usually find both proofs sitting next to each other in a good number of liquor stores, all you need to worry about is your taste, cost, and ABV preference, knowing that either will impress you regardless.