LouisianaLonghorn
Jack Daniel's Single Barrel Barrel Proof Tennessee Whiskey
Tennessee Whiskey — Tennessee, USA
Reviewed
October 26, 2020 (edited April 4, 2021)
I've been sitting on this for a few weeks before I reviewed it. A lot of fine quality reviews are based on neck pours, and lord knows I have several myself, but I've been moving away from that practice as I see how a bottle opens up and reveals itself over time. It's a bit like dating, where the first date may be nice and have a WOW factor, but you haven't really gotten to know that person yet. Now that this has been open and had some time and air (which I highly recommend for this bottle), I feel that I know it better.
Chunky Monkey. This whiskey tastes like Chunky Monkey. For the uninitiated, Chunky Monkey is a flavor of ice cream from the American producers Ben & Jerry's. It has banana ice cream with walnut and fudge chunks in it. It is my most favorite flavor of anything they produce, and this whisky is a magnificent liquid version of it. The nose does a marvelous job at masking the high alcohol content, which flits between 64 and 66 percent ABV depending on your bottle. I get the Jack Daniels banana that I hated in college but adore now, along with sweet oak, dusty lumber, cacao nibs, toffee, and pecans. Damn good.
The taste is a slow buildup. The proof is present, but it doesn't obliterate the other flavors. Enhances them, really. Because the proof is so high, it pulsates on your palate for quite some time, driving those flavors from the nose further into your taste buds. The first sip is a bit intense, but it mellows over time, as the alcohol delivers a gentle numbing. Like the dentist, but in a good way. As with any high proof dram, the finish lingers for a long time.
Forget Stagg Jr. If you can find it regularly, good on you and buy away, but this is $50 and on the shelf everywhere in Texas. It packs the same proof and the same flavor of Stagg Jr., but without all the bullshit allocation nonsense. There's no shortage of Jack Daniels. This is JD for grownups. Whatever you thought it was, this isn't. This is a whole lot better. Cheers!
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@WhiskeyLonghorn Nice review! Even after more than 500 whiskies tasted, I still hesitate to review and rate a spirit based on first impression. All my reviews on Distiller are for whiskies that I have tasted at least twice, and it happened all too often that my second dram changed my score up or down.
@WhiskeyLonghorn I have had a C918. I was on a fishing trip with @ridethalightin and he picked it up in nowhereville, NC on the way to the coast. It was fantastic! If you like cinnamon, cloves, and other baking spices it would be for you. A highlight of our trip. (Hurricane Michael messed up our fishing). I reviewed it briefly on my taste list. I would be interested in what you think if you pull the trigger.
Unfortunately I haven't tried that one @WhiskeyLonghorn :( If you pick it up, I'm looking forward to reading your thoughts
@WhiskeyLonghorn A119 that followed was superb and I haven’t had a bad one since, but wouldn’t want to mislead you on that particular one. If less than $80 probably a safe bet.
@ContemplativeFox (and anyone else) I spotted a rare sighting of ECBP here in Texas today. It was a C918 bottle. Anybody here in the hive mind remember that one and could advise on whether to purchase?
Yeah, the increase in Scotch price is frustrating @WhiskeyLonghorn Clearly the worst thing about 2020 lol.
@CKarmios don’t forget that it costs more AND you get 50 mL less than we do! In our defense, Single malt Scotch has become stupid expensive at almost every level over here....on this week’s edition of “fun with retaliatory tariffs...”
Last JD I tried was Gentleman Jack; never thought I'd consider buying a JD bottling again after that. Shame on you all - and it costs €90 on this side of the pond
@WhiskeyLonghorn Interestingly I think you'll find two 375 are less than one 750 for whatever reason
@Ctrexman I bought a 375 not sure about the high proof but once it’s gone I’m heading back for the full bottle. Magnificent.
I adore this whiskey its so full flavored and rich
It's great to know I'm not hallucinating my impressions of this one @WhiskeyLonghorn :)
@ContemplativeFox didn’t mean to steel your thunder. Just damn good whisky on a chilly Monday night!
D-Did you plagiarize this review off of my spreadsheet? I almost put my tasting of this up today (sorry, it's taking me ages to do this @Ctrexman ) and it's eerily similar. I didn't get all of the same notes in my bottle, but needs some time and air in the bottle? Check. Delicious banana? Check. Oak/dusty lumber? Check. Toffee? Check. Proof enhancing the other flavors? Check. Fantastic VFM and readily available? Check. Awesome tasting lol