Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel Barrel Proof

Reviews

Dec 5

Written By Peter Dancs

Single Barrel | Tennessee Whiskey | 133 Proof | 4-7 years | Charcoal Filtered

Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel Barrel Proof is their first Cask Strength expression and it’ll likely change your opinion about Jack Daniels. It has been around for a few years, but don’t be like us and sleep on this bottle for too long! For this review, I mixed it with Diet Coke, chugged it, and repeated this process until I went to bed with a gag-inducing sweet taste in my mouth as my room spun around me… Or at least I would have if I was still 21 and if it were Old No. 7.

Here’s the deal with this stuff - it’s single barrel, so there’s definitely some variation from barrel to barrel, but it clocks in between 125 and 140 proof. I’m drinking from a 375ml bottle that came from Rick L-33, Barrel 20-02411, bottled on 5-14-20. The bottle in the photos - Rick 2, Barrel 19-08558, bottled on 12-3-19 - is a proper 750ml I decided I was happy to commit to after cracking open this pint. I’ll set some aside from the pint to compare the two bottles some day. At cask strength and having rested for 4+ years, it has some fantastic notes that are unique for bourbons. I know, I know it’s Tennessee Whiskey, but how big is the difference really? Fine. It’s unique among American Whiskeys.

The first thing you notice about this pour is the intense scent of ripe bananas as it hits the glass. In the nose, you get a slight ethanol singe and some marshmallow in addition to the banana; the singe intensifies at the top of the nostrils the longer you inhale. Though the alcohol is notable, it’s not unpleasant. I found myself taking long steady draws of the nose enjoying how it builds from the start. On the palate, the ripe banana notes stay strong and are complemented by maple syrup and baking spices like cinnamon. It’s like the whiskey version of eating a buttery cinnamon & spice pancake drenched in maple syrup with ripe banana slices generously heaped on top. The strength of the banana note seems to fade a bit as this breathes in the glass. It’s delicious. It finishes by drying out on your palate with a slightly savory note of freshly baked bread and more banana.

To be honest, I had a slight prejudice against the idea of dropping ~$65 on a bottle of Jack Daniels, but this stuff really stands out in a great way. It’s definitely something I’d offer to friends to wow them with its unique tasting notes and delight in the nostalgia of how we used to consume whiskeys like Old No. 7.

7.5 - Did I mention this stuff is unique and delicious? It’s teetering on “I might always want to have a bottle of this open.” I think it’s a great example of the diversity in American Whiskeys.