BACKGROUND: Jack Daniel’s pulls barrels from the upper levels of the rickhouse for their single barrel bottlings, with the barrel proof version being released in varying proofs ranging from 125 to 140. The bottle I sampled was 131 proof, or 65.5% ABV. I was prompted to purchase this bottle while reading the excellent book “Blood and Whiskey: The Life and Times of Jack Daniel,” which contains many interesting details about the Tennessee whiskey’s namesake. Among those fact about Jack Daniel and his product were: Though many of the Brown/Forman-produced statues and likenesses of him depict Jack Daniel as a tall, long-legged, skinny man, he stood only 5-foot 2-inches tall at his tallest and was demonstrably overweight in his later years. Jack Daniel was taught to make whiskey at age 16 by a freed slave known as “Uncle Nearis,” not “Nearest.” Apparently the marketers of the new whiskey changed his name because “Nearest” sounds more appealing and looks better on the shelf. Jack Daniel started his first distillery at age 25 with a $1,000 inheritance from his father’s estate. Upon receiving the inheritance, the previously destitute Daniel briefly left Lynchburg and later returned dressed in a formal knee-length frock coat, a fawn-colored vest lined with silk, a broad tie, and a broad-brimmed planter’s hat. He would wear the same outfit every day for the rest of his life. Jack Daniel drank his whiskey in a cocktail known as a “Tansy Julep,” which is made with whiskey, sugar or simple syrup, and tansy, a herbaceous flower that is toxic if ingested in sufficient quantity. Jack Daniel’s whiskey became famous after he entered in an international competition at the St. Louis World’s Fair, also known as the Louisiana Purchase Exposition, in 1904. The bottle he entered was awarded the Gold Medal for “World’s Finest Whiskey” Tour guides at the Jack Daniel’s distillery claim that its founder once kicked a large safe out of frustration when the combination would not work, and the foot injury he sustained led to his death. While it is true that Daniel did famously kick the safe in 1906, he did not die until1911, and his death at age 62 was related to diabetes. Daniel’s leg was amputated at the thigh the year before his death as a result of his diabetes. If asked, tour guides at the Jack Daniel distillery claim that no one knows exactly why the phrase “Old No. 7” appears on the bottle. Perhaps the reason they claim ignorance is because the story is neither simple nor sexy. During the time that Jack Daniel founded his distillery, alcohol taxes comprised roughly 70% of the federal government’s total revenues. To facilitate collecting those taxes, the IRS divided Tennessee into five tax districts and also assigned a number to each individual distillery. Originally, Jack Daniel’s distillery was Distillery No. 7 in tax district 4. After he had already built a reputation for producing quality whiskey, Daniel’s county was moved to tax district 5, and he was reassigned as Distillery No. 16. Distillers sold their product in barrels and pottery jugs with their distillery number stamped on the outside, so those numbers became the identifier that wholesalers used. To let them know that the whiskey was the same that Daniel had always produced, he placed “Old No. 7” underneath “Distillery No. 16” on his jugs and barrels. While Frank Sinatra’s public enjoyment of the product helped make Jack Daniel’s popular in the modern era, other celebrities made no secret of their love for it. Among them were U.S. Vice President John Nance Garner, Nobel Prize-winning novelist William Faulkner, FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover, and President Harry Truman, who sent a case to Winston Churchill. NOSE: The nose smells strongly of banana and dusty corn though there is a bit of oak present, as well. For a 131 proof whiskey, however, there is decidedly little ethanol presence on the nose. PALATE: The delightfully thick and syrupy mouth feel of this whiskey is the first detail I noticed, and it was followed by a flood of flavors that included sweet corn, oak, toffee and banana. The palate is all at once sweet and savory. At this point, the strong alcohol presence made itself known with a noticeable tingle on my lips and tongue. FINISH: This barrel proof whiskey has a significantly long finish, and the initial tingle on the lips and tongue spreads to the roof of the mouth. The finish is a decidedly sweet one. A pleasant warming in the throat and chest appear, but there is no real burn despite the high alcohol content. FINAL ASSESSMENT: Retailing for less than $60, the Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel Barrel Proof is one of the best buys I have ever discovered. The combined sensation of sweetness and savory flavor is unique to this whiskey, and one of the most pleasant experiences I have had. This bottle now ranks in my top five all-time favorite whiskies.