Jack Daniels Single Malt

“Like a Bourbon”

Whisky Review # 1021

Country: USA 🇺🇸

Region: Tennessee

Brand: Jack Daniels Single Malt

Type: Single Malt American Whiskey - 100 % Malted Barley

Age: Around 6 Years

Alcohol By Volume (ABV): 45%
Maturation: Fresh Charred White Oak Barrels with 2 year Finish in Oloroso casks

Charcoal Filtration: Yes

Sample provided by Mauricio from Brazil. Many Thanks!

Price Range: US$ 90-130 (May 2024)
Price/Quality Ratio: 👎 Too expensive for what it offers

Buying Advice: 👎 Better stick with your favorite JD Bourbon

Color:

Dark Amber with shades of Orange and Brown (Natural Colour)

Nose:

The Nose is Sweet and Sour and Pleasant enough although it still feels more like a Bourbon than a Scottish Single Malt. This shows the powerful influence of the fresh charred American Oak. Lots of Caramel & Vanilla. The Sherry cask influence is not huge but it does add some Dried Fruit and Nuts as well as colour. Please avoid to Nose in the middle of your glass to avoid the Alcohol.

Main Aromas:

Sweet Barley, Butter Biscuits, Vanilla, Caramel, Dried Fruit like Raisins, Apples and Plums, Grass, Toasted Oak, Acetone, Glue, Pepper and Cinnamon.

Supportive Aroma Accents:

Golden Syrup, Maraschino Cherry, Banana, Orange, Dark Berries, Bounty Bars, Floral notes, Mixed Nuts, Brandy, Milk and Dried Herbs.

Palate:

A slightly Thin delivery despite the seemingly adequate ABV. The Palate is a mix of Bitter, Sweet and Sour notes. Quite Dry. The Alcohol is noticeable.

Main Flavours:

Sweet Barley, Buttered Toast, Demerara Sugar, Vanilla, Salted Caramel, Dried Fruit like Raisins, Plums & Apples, Banana, Charred Oak, Pepper, Cinnamon & Cloves.  

Supportive Flavour Accents:

Nuts, Grass, Dried Herbs, Maraschino Cherry, Orange, Lemon, Acetone, Glue, Red Berries, Milk Chocolate and Licorice.

       

Finish:

Medium-Long, Bitter-Sweet, quite Dry and Hot. I find Sweet Barley, Vanilla, Burnt Caramel, Dried Fruit like Plums, Raisins and Berries, Apple Cider, Nuts, Orange and Lemon, Charred Oak, Espresso, Licorice, Pepper, Cinnamon, Cloves, Menthol, Glue and Acetone.

Drinking Advice:

Added Water kills this JD.

Rating: 6.5 (******1/2)

Nose: 7 - Taste:  6.5 - Finish: 6

*** Important Note with respect to Rating.

If the Final score is 8 or higher you can safely buy the whisky in question if and when it fits your Aroma/Flavor profile. If the score is between 6 and 8 you might want to try it out in the form of a sample or if offered at a good price. Anything below 6 should be left alone when you are looking for a nice sipping whisky. You might still like it of course & I realize pricing is an important item for many whisky fans especially when you are used to enjoy whisky in a cocktail or a mixed drink.

Drinking Experience Neat: Okay at best

 

Conclusion:

Jack Daniels Distillery is located in Lynchburg (Tennessee). It was in fact founded by a man called Jack Daniels back in 1866. It stayed in the family until 1956 when it was sold to Brown Forman from Kentucky.

I'm always open to new ideas and experiments so I was looking forward to try this American Single Malt made by JD. Unfortunately I'm not impressed with the result. The influence of the fresh American White Oak is so big that this JD still feels like a Bourbon or Tennessee Whiskey in the case of JD. And while the Oloroso casks add a bit of Dried Fruit and Nuts it's too little to change the overall picture. All this would still be okay if the prices were in line with the regular JD. It's way more expensive though and I can't find sufficient justification for that. I would advise you to forget about this Single Malt until the prices have come down. In the meantime just stay with your favorite Jack Daniels. In my case that's the Silver Select!

Cheers 🥃

Jan van den Ende                                                                         May 23, 2024