Jack Daniel's Single Barrel

This single barrel is 19-04135, from rick R-16 and was bottled on June 18 2019.

The colour is a dark amber. On the nose we have massive layers of oak, featuring dark chocolate, nougat and cinnamon, as well as usual suspects in JD (black liquorice, malt and pepper). Wisps of wood smoke. Terrific nose, though water only seems to lessen the experience.

On the palate the wood continues to dominate, though the cinnamon and pepper relax a bit. More caramel and vanilla. Unlike its effect on the nose, water amps things up with more oiliness and bigger spices. Like the Legacy Edition, the palate has less oomph than the nose, but is no less complex.

The finish is long with more dark chocolate, bovril, brine and just a hint of vanilla. The saltiness is odd - not a note I usually get with Jack - but it works just fine. Compared with the JD Legacy Edition, it's oakier, fuller bodied, oilier and overall a much richer experience. Now for our final Tennessean, which I suspect is from a different distillery altogether...

I bought this one to try a different JD.

It pours a nice deep amber, and leaves an oily ring on the glass.

I had it both neat and with about a half teaspoon of water.

Undiluted, I did not pick up any significant scent. With water, I got some cinnamon and wood, with a bit of char in the background.

The first sip is a massive alcohol burn that almost numbs the tongue. It fills the mouth with some leather and oak, and cinnamon. There is a Buffalo Trace sweetness to this. The tastes are similar both neat and with water. The water only serves to lessen the alcohol burn.

The aftertaste is somewhat short, with a licorice and char taste. It also leaves an unpleasant bitterness that doesn’t go away quickly.

Overall, this is just ok. I wouldn’t go out of my way to get it again. I hope that future tastings will reveal some flavors I’ve missed.

So here comes another JD review where the first thing the writer does is apologise for drinking JD ;) OK? Right, now that's out of the way let's crack on . . .

Before I got heavily into whisky (or became a nerd?) JD no.7 was undrinkable. Even now, I still find it barely passable and there's huge variation as far as I can tell. The Master Distillers' editions though have been quite enjoyable and I've a couple bunkered as they were sold cheap as chips in the UK last year. My enjoyment, and relative surprise, with them made me consider getting a SB offering. Along come the sales and here we are:

This is from a 2/3 full bottle that has been open about two months. A neat pour but added to the last sips of a previous dram.

Nose: Classic JD. It's unmistakable, right? I'd bet I could pick out JD blindfolded in amongst other TW and bourbons it's that unique. Turkish delight, rose petals, airfix glue, parma violet sweets, banana (fresh and toffee) and some charred fresh oak. Maple comes out with time.

Taste: Fairly thin mouth feel, sweet banana, then sour cherries, violet sweets which fades to maple and oak. More vanilla comes out as it sits. Nice balance of sweet, sour and dry.

Finish: Short - medium. A pleasant cloying sweetness remains. Some drying slightly bitter oak. Sour cherry jam on an old tea bag.

I saw a YT vlog where Luning, Horst Luning's son (name _____?) visited the distillery and had a tasting with the head distiller, iirc. He reckoned that JD barrels tend to produce either a more woody style, a sweeter style or one that is more balanced. He admitted that with the SB's you take a chance (but they're all great etc etc!). I would wager this is a more balanced to sweet barrel, which is fine with me, as I find too much wood/nuttyness in bourbon a bit of a turn-off. Very decent stuff and I'd grab again in the sales. I can also see why JD has so many fans; when I'm in the mood the sweetness of this is very enjoyable. It's the kind of whisky you'd have with a few mates playing cards.

I am not much of a fan of old No.7 but I can see the appeal of it, it has indeed become a very powerful American Icon, pretty much synonymous with rock & roll, motorcycles and the assorted trappings of that lifestyle. It is also fairly easy drinking whether due in part to the Lincoln process of charcoal filtering the whisky prior to barreling or the low abv.

After having sampled a few of these single barrel releases I have been pleasantly surprised and have eaten my share of crow. This one was from a bottle split with a friend.

Nose: Lacquer, banana chips, sweet corn and candy apples. There is a peak of allspice and cloves in the middle and then a little cedar and tons of fresh oak.

Palate: Sweet, sharp, banana bread, cooked cherries and vanilla. A little lactic and sour tang shows up too.

Finish: Oak and smidge of mint, vanilla and a lingering amount of peppery spices lead. The body is fairly thin.

I have to admit it is pretty decent stuff, again not my favourite American whisky but a far cry from Gentleman Jack. The price locally is fairly high, at the same price point I would rather buy Knob Creek SB or Eagle Rare.

I'm almost ready for bed (my girlfriend is passed out on the couch next to me), so hey let's review another Jack Daniel's Single Barrel, just for shits and giggles. And I know for most of you, Jack Daniel's is indeed the shits...

This is Barrel No. 16-6575, from Rick R6, and bottled on Oct 17 2016. It's been open for a few months.

The colour is a very dark, reddish amber. Very rich on the nose with charcoal, maple, black pepper and liquorice. Malty, also fruity with overripe apples and bananas, and also black cherries. Really big oak. Sweet corn. Savoury herbs. A drop of water brings out tons of wood smoke! Quite heavy and rich, even for JD SB. I quite enjoy it.

On the palate, it's pretty fruity as well, with more tropical fruits (banana, papaya) but also quite herbal with rosemary and sage. Surprisingly citrusy as well. The sweetness is nicely balanced by the huge oak. Buttered corn on the cob. Maltier, and more citrusy, with a drop of water. Very interesting!

The finish is a slight disappointment - too short, but with some nice oak and spice, and a little balsamic right at the end. This is one of the best Single Barrels I've come across - it's extremely rich but beautifully balanced between wood, fruit, spice and sweetness. The last barrel I reviewed - 16-1620 - scored an 81, and tasting it side-by-side with 16-6575, it doesn't stand a chance. Where the slightly older bottling is thin and quieter, the more recent one is big and bold.

This was bottled on March 3rd 2016, from Barrel No. 16-1620 from rick L-20.

The colour is a deep coppery gold. On the nose there is a huge amount of caramel and vanilla, with malt, balsamic, liquorice all-sorts, red apple skins and mint. Maltier with water. Typical JD but with more oomph.

On the palate there is tons of spice, a bit overwhelming. Chewy and mouth-coating. Vanilla custard, creme caramel, more liquorice and molasses. Very oily. Tons of oak here. Much calmer with water, which is good. There's a lot of flavour going on, but it's all a bit too much.

The long finish is very oaky, with burnt sugar and strong herbs like oregano. It's fine if you like your JD but there is no subtlety to this barrel, it comes on like a bat out of hell and blows out your tastebuds. Amazingly, the last JD SB I tasted was from Barrel No. 16-1621, from the same rick and bottled on the same date - they must have lain next to each other! That one I scored 85 and it is very different. That one was much closer to the Old No. 7 profile, while the one I'm tasting today has gone overboard. 1620 must have been maturing longer than 1621, given that other variables should be very similar.

A step up from the original. Nose is oak and old leather. A very southern affair. Much of the same on the palate, with that distinct Jack grain mash taste accompanying the leathery flavor. Finish is nice and strong. I like shots of the original, but I can enjoy sipping on this.

Colour: lovely deep copper

Nose: If only No.7 smelled like this, no glue note I always find in the cheaper expression just a lovely corn sweetness married with old leather and oak on the back. No reason to cover this up with mixers or water.

Palate: starts sweet moves quickly through to a delightful light spice which when held develops through into a lovely warmth, not much in the way of fruit coming through but rather a liquorice stick which I personal enjoy. Quite rich texture and coats mouth.

Finish: Dry oak and more liquorice which is medium in length, leaves mouth dry and just wanting another sip.

Overall I really enjoyed this bottle but would not pay the premium for it again.

Rick No. L-25. Barrel 14-6318 Bottled 11/5/14

I don't like the No 7 to which I would probably give a low 70'. But I tought I should give another chance to Jack since so many loves it. So I went for the single barrel at 47% ABV. The review bottle is from rick 2, barrel 14-5188 and was bottled on 9-10-14.

This bourbon could be compare to a lot of good bourbons!

On the nose, you have a saw dust that makes me think of Willett pot still with the floral notes from Buffallo Trace to which you add some banana.

The palate follows the nose but the banana has more vanilla, the saw dust more oak and you have mint with spices like from a very light version of Fighting Cock.

The finish leaves you with the floral notes, banana and increasing sweetness (white sugar like on home's donuts).

It is hard to come with a conclusion for that one. It is full of good flavors. The balance is there. It is integrated. Yet, at the end, it goes in all direction not telling me a story. I like it a lot, but it lacks the unity that would gives it some greatness. But, please, don't compare it to the No 7, they are not even in the same ball park!

Our next contestant comes from Rick No. L-5, Barrel No. 14-1241 and was bottled on March 18 2014.

The colour is a rich coppery gold - pretty much identical to the last Single Barrel. On the nose, the pepper is more muted, but the salt is still there. Generally, similar notes are there - caramel, vanilla, banana - but they are quieter than expected; for example, I get creme brûlée as opposed to the deep, dark caramel of the last bottle. Water does little to the nose. Still has some complexity but the volume is simply turned down a little low.

The mouthfeel is not as oily as the last one, and again, everything just seems a little bit muted, except this one's a little spicier, with a little more zip. Very interesting that more spice has come out in front of the sweeter, fruitier notes. As water dampens down that spice, I would suggest keeping it neat.

The finish keeps the heat going but is otherwise surprisingly short. As you can imagine, there is not a great difference between these two - all JDSBs use new American white oak barrels, the Lincoln County Process, and the same distillate - but there are subtle differences that make the exercise worthwhile. I prefer the power of 13-6633 but appreciate the combination of spice and elegance of 14-1241. Using these numbers makes it like I'm comparing droids. Anyway - I recommend both.

Since I'm in a compare-and-contrast mood, let's try two different single barrels of Jack Daniel's. Our first opponent comes from Rick No. R-18 and Barrel No. 13-6633, and was bottled on November 19 2013.

The colour is a dark reddish copper. The nose starts off very salt-and-peppery (emphasis on the pepper) and is more floral than expected. The caramel is deeper and darker than the standard, and is entwined with rich vanilla. Cotton candy? Or is it something else that is putting dirty, grimy CNE-type carnivals into my head? Maybe it's the humidor note. Tons of oak, spicy and very herbal. Water adds a little smoke.

On the palate, more pepper (little salt) with the deep, rich caramel and vanilla. Oily mouthfeel. BBQ chicken, overripe banana and a hint of barely sugar. Ironically, water dries out the whisky and makes it even richer. Lip-smacking.

The finish has more BBQ, with the wood smoke and sweet heat, adding gently into leather and tobacco. Surprisingly complex finish. I quite like this, finding it superior to the standard. I reviewed another Single Barrel a couple of years ago that I ranked lower than I would either Old No. 7 or this one. To me, this one takes the traditional, overly familiar notes and adds a few layers of complexity. With the exception of a George Dickel Single Barrel 9 Year Old I had earlier this year, this could be the best Tennessee whisky I've had yet.

Acquired as a 23rd birthday gift. Bottled specifically for Hy-vee (A grocery store chain) Kirksville, Mo.

Rick No.: L-30 Barrel No.: 14-0069 Bottled: 01-07-14 47% ABV Color: Copper-Amber

Nose: Upon opening its easily spicy-sweet leaning closer to the sweet side. Odd melon (cantalope/musk melon) notes become apparent. With time vanilla, caramel corn, brown sugar, molasses, sugar coated almonds, and ripe bananas foster. Very sweet nose, one of the better ones I've been a part of. Gentle spots of cinnamon emerge.

Body: Slow and fat droplets after swirling. Rich and relatively heavy on the tongue.

Taste: An immediate pop of oak and barrel char. Strong, bitter oak takes the reins and doesn't let go even if its arms were to fall off. Cinnamon, cloves, and a little black pepper. You have to dig for these notes like digging in heavy wet sand to find them. Not at all like the nose. Quite surprising.

Finish: Lingering oak, char and slight spices.

Overall: I've never realized the real power of American White Oak. My first hand lesson on its abilities right here. Very contrasting nose to palate. I was expecting a sweeter palate but with whisk(e)y one can only guess sometimes.

I don't particularly like No.7 nor do I enjoy Gentleman Jack. I've tried both but wouldn't buy a bottle. So I wasn't expecting a drastic improvement from GJ/No.7 to SB but I was wrong.

Nose: So unlike the standard Jacks. Nutmeg, allspice, barrel char, cinnamon wood, anise. It has a sweet side that also wafts up from the Glencairn which consists of burnt sugar, toffee, and marshmallow. The nose also portrays another facet of grains, mostly rye.

Taste: A sweet arrival that stays on for the whole journey. The toffee and sugars show up as does the barrel char. There are some burnt wood flavors here, mostly cedar and maple. The rye from the nose revisits with a tingling spice. A surprising taste of coconut flesh emerges as well. The Body of this whiskey is oily, with a syrupy viscosity. Has good weight to it.

Finish: All spice, more wood flavors, and rye. Very oily, leaves the mouth well coated. However, this isn't consistent as with follow up sips the finish turns dry.

Overall it's impressive. In a blind taste test I don't know if someone who hasn't tasted Jack SB before, would realize that this and Old No.7 are from the same distillery.

Allow me to finish up my line-up of Americans with a single barrel from Jack Daniel’s. This barrel was bottled on 9th July 2012 at 45% ABV (or 90 proof). It sticks to the glass.

The honeysweet nose shows quite some grain, sweet corn and oak. A truckload of toffee and a hint of toasted oak. Then brown sugar and sweet cherries follow. A touch of spearmint. Maple syrup. This is better than expected.

It is nicely creamy and round with an immediate attack of sweet grains and toffee. Then the rye makes for a nice spicy kick. Aniseed, even. Hints of leather and liquorice. Maraschino cherries and tobacco. This is actually quite complex.

The medium long finish on maple syrup suddently shows a hint of citrus. Surprising and less drying than I feared.

I am not a big fan of Jack, but this one gets it right. Rich and intense.

Not being a particular fan of the No7, I figured that the Single Barrel release would likely be a step up. Booker’s remains my favourite to date, with an unparalleled richness and warmth. Knowing this, my friend suggested that this might be a worthy follow-up. I’m skeptical, though. Let’s see how this goes.

Nose: Spearmint, brown sugar, deep cherry, dark caramel, maple, oak, charcoal, and smoky bacon. Lovely and rich.

Palate: Sweet and thick. Brown sugar, syrup, maraschino cherries, old musty oak and wet tobacco followed by spice.

Finish: Tobacco, cherries, Spicy white pepper and burnt vanilla with some lovely lingering oak. It’s dry, but not overly so. Just right. Medium in length.

I really like this stuff. It’s a well crafted and confident dram. Not as thick or stylized as some other bourbons/Tennessee whiskies, but it remains very rich and warming with wonderful notes. And at 47% it stands as a sturdy and strong alternative for those of us who want a step up from the standard or budget offerings. The wood notes are particularly enjoyable. Overall, it’s a standard flavour profile with some added richness and intensity that is simply well-done. This is undoubtedly one of Jack's finest releases.

An outstanding whiskey, I would say I hate normal jack this was a different beast.

Nose: sweet, spicy, oak, a caramel smell like kettle-corn, vanilla, butterscotch. Palate: Like the nose, just with a certain dryness that makes it enjoyable, more spice and oak, vanilla and butterscotch. Finish: last a while, caramel, spice, butterscotch the mentioned oak and vanilla. I recommend this, the drink is not the swill that Old No. 7 is. A word agaisnt it is the burn can overpower the rest of the drink.

My exploration for the Jack Daniel's range, though not exhaustive, shall I think end here. Basically the stronger version of Old No. 7, it is difficult to not compare it to that benchmark as you sit and appreciate it. It has a deeper, almost burgundy colour, good legs and a solid body. The nose is very similar to Old No. 7 but more so: deeper caramel and stronger white pepper. The vanilla and maple sugar notes remain similar, but do I detect less charcoal? I presume it has the same filtration rate as the others, so perhaps it becomes overcome by the stronger alcohol and cask characteristics. Taste is a little more fiery (again, slightly more alcohol) and with the same characteristics as the original only more so. Water does little but simply dilute the nose and palate. The question to ask yourself is, why pay more for this than the original? I can't answer that. I prefer the Old No. 7 to both this and the lighter Gentleman Jack because, well, they got it right the first time. None of them have any subtlety nor are particularly well balanced, but they are what they are. This one's just a little too strong - there is a briskness to Old No. 7 that is missing here. For anyone who is interested, this particular single barrel is #4451 and comes from Rack #14; bottled on Sept 6 2011.

This is my first review, and also one of the first American whiskies i've had. 

Nose: very sweet, I get a hint of fruits but couldn't really figure out which ones. 

Taste: very sweet again and now the taste of fresh green apples comes forward. 

Palate: oily, syrup-ish.

Conclusion: I loved this, and I'm certain that I will try more US whiskies in the future. 

Blues and whiskey is, perhaps, one of the most alluring of partners-- both comfort food for the wandering soul regardless of the mood. For tonight's sampling of Jack Daniel's Single Barrel- Ducks Unlimited, bottled 2-11-2010- J.J. Cale, Little Feat and Dr. John are gathered in spirit (through their music coming out of the speakers).

A side note (or bottom note rather)-- if you have never been to the Jack Daniel's distillery, now would be a good time to pack up your finest things, get in your car and drive to Lynchburg, TN. It is that wonderful.

Before taking on this whiskey for this review, my palate had experienced thyme and rosemary encrusted pork chops, swiss potato cakes, and red pepper and cheddar salad. Also, I had previously had a glass of Lagunitas Hop Stoopid.

Nose: Caramel drizzled over vanilla-infused oak shavings. Cigars of the Cuban type.

Palate: Bananas Foster and caramel. Ooooo... hello spice.

Finish: Similar to palate with slight alcohol lingering in the tongue region-- not traveling down the throat or belly. Still, spice.

Conclusion: I just really love Jack Daniel's Single Barrel and I do not care who knows about it.

The nose starts very sweet, with the mash and cooked apple being prominent. Syrup follow soon after. On the palate, the dry, sour-mash mixed with syrup and spice is at the forefront. Dark fruit and old wood follow. The finish is dry, sour, and woody.

I know that JD calls itelf a Tennessee Whiskey, but what is a Tennessee whiskey?

First of, it is a Straight Bourbon Whiskey that has to be produced in the state of Tennnessee. I'll remind you quickly that a bourbon has a wash bill of at least 51% corn and must be aged in new charred oak casks. And, as for the Straight part, this maturation has to be for at least 2 years.

On top of that, Brown-Forman use for its JD brand the Lincoln county process, which consist of filtering the new make spirit at least once in maple charcoal.

And to complicate matter just a wee bit more, it's a sour mash, meaning that some of the previous mash bill is used to start the next batch. Meaning that you get more of the local yeasts into the distiller beer that goes into the wash still.

For the Single Barrel, Jeff Arnett, master distiller, chooses usually older barrels from the upper reaches of the best lofts of the wharehouses. And it is bottled at a higher proof to keep all the flavour intatc in the bottle.

Phew! But what does that do to the spirit? It makes it yummi!

Straight out of the bottle, we see a deep burnt caramel colour, and lots of bubbles. The nose is maple, caramelized banana a la mode. So nice. It speaks of acetone, wood, corn and vanilla.

Leaving it Standing for while in the glass opens things up and adds some spices. I get anice étoilée and some dark fruits. Corinthian raisins? Figs? And quite some wood.

The taste is very fruity with dark red prunes with poivre jamaïcain. But it needs water.

The water did not change much to me on the nose, perhaps blanketing the wood a bit. But on the palate, lots of things are now happening: maple, mint, lots of cinnamon throughout, the wood again. And some nice charcoal and rye cake topped with unsalted butter. And then evovles again into something like cherry pie or good cherry cola.

And what a finish. It lasts and lasts. Unbelievable for a Tennessee whisky. Never had such a finish on anything but the best scotch. It's all about the spices and the wood and the cherry cola.

Definitely one of the best bourbon around.

I tried some of their commemorative bottling, , single barrel from other years and sponsored of private barrels, and they do vary. In both colour and flavour profile. But the complexity is always there, and so does the great finish and nose. Some will be more banana, maple or vanilla, but all of them good.

A bit more expensive then the Gentleman Jack, but the complexity of it justify the difference. If it could just be bottled at cask strenght.

Jack Daniels Old No 7 is world famous, and has a taste that is familiar to many, so when you try something like the Single Barrel, you expect a similar taste.

And that’s exactly what you get, although with a few significant differences. The first being that this is a decidedly richer taste compared to its little brother, it’s almost a little more upmarket, and the price reflects that as it’s around £40 a bottle. There is the same Jack Daniels base, with the charcoal filtering adding its usual characteristics to the dram, but it’s smoother and easier to drink than its compatriot.

The colour remains as Jack is, darkly golden, and the smell is distinctively JD. The changes are in the bottle, which clearly sets it apart from the others in the range, and of course the taste as noted above. Tennessee whisky is a law unto itself, not a bourbon and not a regular malt, and Jack Daniel’s have been doing this a long time, perfecting the process and churning out quality such as this.

If you’re a fan of Jack Daniels Old No 7, then this will open your eyes as to how much more they can get out of their spirit. If you’re not a fan, then it’s worth a try just because it has noted differences and better qualities than the normal supermarket variety bottles. I enjoyed it, and have now finished 2 bottles over the past 12 months. Some may find the high rating strange, but I’m not rating this in comparison to single malt whisky, you cant do that really, but to its own brand and different varieties.