Jack Daniel's Old No. 7
40% ABV - Tennessee, USA
Nose: Wet charcoal, honey, butterscotch, and light fruits—only a hint of the banana to arrive on the taste. I am picturing "whiskey strained through a bar rag." A clean one, mind you.
Taste: Heavier on the smoked honey, banana (like a doughy caramel), and light fruits—pears? with a background of dry, wooden pallets.
Finish: The flavours are sucked out by dry tannins and it leaves some of the fruits and spices.
I bought this bottle of whiskey for our backyard wedding… and, given there was a few options for whisk(e)y… I was very surprised that no one had any! I’m fairly sure that before the end of the night I made sure to have a toast with it myself. Nothing beats the flavours and nostalgia that Jack Daniel's Old No. 7 delivers.
Jack Daniels distillery was the first large-scale operation that I visited. We flew into St. Louis, MO, rented a car, and drove through Memphis, TN to finally arrive in Lynchburg… (before heading toward Nashville, TN and Louisville, KY, but that’s another story!) Come to think of it, although we did the full guided tour and tasting, I didn’t buy a bottle at the distillery! (They were a little more expensive there.) It wasn’t until a couple of days later (and it was Gentleman Jack).
I think that the Jack Daniel's Single Barrels are way more complex with punchier flavours, but this is a very affordable daily drinker and bar shelf staple. The Gentleman Jack (review here) is also a favourite of mine.
Tasted 10 June 2021. (Posted 01 September 2021.)
