Jack Daniel’s Craft and Luxury Collection Review : Way Beyond Coke

I admit, I’m not one of the cool kids.

I haven’t stepped into a club (to gyrate to music at least) for about a decade. For me, the drinking bit is much more fun than the dancing bit. I suspect it might be because of my two left feet.

Anyway, I’m assured that the club drinks menus have evolved, but three immortals remain on every club bartender’s repertoire. Vodka and Red Bull. The Tequila with Lime Wedge. The Jack and Coke.

I get it. If your life was anything like mine, the Jack and Coke has probably travelled the gullet in both directions. It’s hard to love the whiskey after that. I doubt that most of us, myself included, have ordered much Jack Daniel’s, with coke or otherwise, recently.

As I recently discovered, that’s quite a pity.

10sc about Tennessee

Jack Daniel’s celebrates its 150th birthday this year, making it the oldest distillery in its home state of Tennessee, perhaps even in America itself, though it’s hard to say for sure.

Technically, though, it is not just a bourbon, but a Tennessee Whiskey. The difference between the two (admittedly very similar) spirits is not in the distillation, but in what happens after.

In the case of Tennessee Whiskey, sugar maple wood is soaked in whiskey, set ablaze and turned into charcoal. New make (freshly made, unmatured) spirit is then dripped through the charcoal. After 3-7 days, when all the new make has flowed through the filter, it is collected and put into American oak casks to slumber for a few years. Kentucky Bourbon skips the charcoal filtration.

According to Jack Daniel’s, this costs a million bucks a year, so it’s not a cheap process. So, why do it? I was told that the charcoal removes impurities and off-flavours, which is supposed to give the final product a cleaner, softer flavour overall.

Jack’s also uses a different mash bill (the grains that are used to make the whiskey) from that of a typical bourbon; a typical bill at Jack’s contains 80% corn, 8% and 12% barley, compared to the ~70% corn, ~18% rye and ~12% barley for many producers. A gander at the mash bills supports this; Jack’s has one of the highest proportion of corn, at least among the big brands. It also uses fully copper column stills and its own strain of yeast.

In theory, these methods should result in a whiskey that is fairly clean, light, and mellow. By all accounts, this approach has paid off. Jack Daniel’s is currently the top-selling American Whiskey brand in the world, and has been for some time.

You’ve almost certainly seen the Old No.7, their main product. That black-labled, square-bottled whisky which you can pick up for about 80 bucks (or less), if you’re so inclined. It’s a good starting point if one is to evaluate its other whiskies.

I’ll be frank. The Old No.7 is not a revelation. There won’t be choirs of angels singing “Gloria in excelsis Deo” as you sip the heavenly mana from the rectangular holy grail. Of course not.

What the Old No.7 actually is: an entry level whiskey that should appeal to those with a sweet tooth and who abhor harshness. It’s pleasant and inoffensive, if a little predictable- no bumps. It’s an everyday drink at an everyday price.

Which means that I actually like it for what it tries to be. I can see myself drinking it with coke, for sure. It’s quite enjoyable on its own too, though I probably wouldn’t pop it out for special occasions.

So that’s my job done, right? I’ve reviewed the whiskey and told you that it’s… fine for everyday drinking. Why bother diving deeper? Well, contrary to popular belief, there’s more than one whiskey by Jack Daniel’s.

The Cover isn’t the Book

Jack Daniel’s employs 60 people on its distilling team. This fairly large team, in turn, produces plenty of spirit; There were almost 2 million casks full of maturing whiskey in Jack Daniel’s warehouses in Lynchburg at one point.

Think about that number. There are countries with fewer people than there are casks at Jack’s. Such a large stock gives Jack Daniel’s gives a luxury that few have; the luxury of choice. This luxury usually manifests as a consistent product.

Whiskey, being a natural product, almost never ends up exactly as planned during its years of maturation, and there is always deviation from the “average” flavour. To keep their products consistent, whiskeymakers usually marry different casks of whiskies- mix liquid from different casks – so that their flavours meld together to form the profile that they want. The more stock there is to draw from, the more feasible it is to achieve that goal.

Whiskey maturation is affected by many, many different factors, including the weather, the wood used, the temperature, the humidity, and so on. It might not be obvious, but where the whisky is put in the warehouse also affects its final flavour. Put it in the higher, warmer levels, and it matures more quickly, becomes a lot stronger in proof, and reacts with the wood differently. The Old No.7 consists of whiskey combined from a cross-section of the warehouse, high and low levels alike.

What if, Jack Daniel’s, like independent bottlers, skipped this marriage of whisky and let each whisky be what it is? Would it be ironic that the “imperfections” of each individual whisky that this marrying process seeks to remove can actually become part of their charm?

Well, Jack Daniel’s has been doing it for a while now. This new Single Barrel collection I’m looking at consists of whiskies selected for robustness, balanced flavour, and sweetness-forwardness. The exact same mash bill, distillation process and barrel specifications are used in making these whiskies as the base whiskey- the Old No.7.

The big difference from the old faithful is, these barrels are selected only from the upmost floors. I was told that even then, only one in a hundred barrels were chosen so that they would express the qualities mentioned. Does this change anything?

Single Minded

Note: There will be a bit of difference between batches, and there is some variation in the proof and probably flavours between each batch. This inconsistency is both the curse and the blessing of all single-barrel whiskies.

The Single Barrel Select (S$118) that I tasted was a little more spicy and nuanced than the Old No.7. While it’s easy to tell that they’re from the same lineage thanks to its sweetness and vanilla and cornbread character, this single barrel whiskey is not quite as mellow. This was exactly what I was looking for.

There’s some roughness and character that I think works in the Single Barrel Select’s favour. The sweetness is there but it disappears much more quickly to give more wood flavours. It’s a definite step up from the Old No.7, and I think it’s pretty good on its own merits; greater balance, nuance and powerful flavour. I wouldn’t call it incredibly complex, but there’s enough meat to chew on here to make it good enough to sip on.

The Single Barrel also comes in a higher proof, which is actually a little different. Whether this is due to the strength or the barrel, I’m not sure.

The 100 proof was quite different, and that was a little surprising. I like the fruity flavours but the heavy spicy ignition takes some of the delicate notes away. Overall, this is bold and robust but not as modulated as the other JDs. I expect that this will attract people who like powerful, in-your-face whiskies. Personally, I prefer the lighter, more elegant Single Barrel Select. Which is great; there’s something for everyone.

Overall, both of the Single Barrel whiskies are a step up from the Old No.7. The preservation of the whiskies’ characters gave them nuance and complexity exceeding that of the Old No.7. The asking price is quite reasonable, too.

Flirtations with Rye

There’s a growing appreciation of rye whiskeys in the US, and that has started to permeate across the globe. The use of rye instead of corn makes for a spicier, less sweet whiskey.

For Jack Daniel’s, seems like quite a departure from its original flavour profile, and was their new first new recipe in over 150 years. The company says that they still use their signature “Jack’s Way”, including the charcoal filtering, but with a 70% rye grain bill.

This Straight Rye (S$78) and the Old No.7 might not be siblings, but they’re at least first cousins. There is certainly a punchiness and spice component that is reminiscent of other ryes, but that’s toned down in favour of a sweeter, cleaner flavour that is very Jack Daniel’s-like, indeed.

I think the result is something both milder and more nuanced than most entry-level ryes I’ve tasted. I like this a lot better than many ryes, which I find too spicy, often to the detriment of the other flavours in the spirit. If you’re on the fence about rye, or simply don’t want some- but too much- spice on your tongue, then this fits the bill.

This one was quite excellent, actually. It’s obviously plenty spicy, but I think the Jack Daniel’s sweetness makes it oddly easy to chug down. The fruit gives it a very pleasant midtone; it’s not just firey and aromatic. Overall, it’s clean, balanced, and well layered with flavour, but very approachable for a rye. If that was the intent, good on JD, because they succeeded.

I’d have liked it to be even richer and more complex in flavours. Then again, I’d like to have a billion dollars and a house on the moon. Realistically, it’s already pretty good for the asking price of S$112(!).

Summing it Up

Here’s an analogy. Mercedes Benz makes sports cars, but they also make workhorse sedans. It doesn’t mean that they can’t both be good for what they’re intended to be. It doesn’t mean that if there’s an everyday sedan, there isn’t a good sports car worth showing off, and vice versa.

If you think that all Jack Daniel’s are fit only for mixing with coke, you might be missing out on some pretty good whiskies. I think these are worthy of being sipped and enjoyed slowly. I particularly liked the Single Barrel Rye.

Are they the top of the line, best whiskies that you’ll ever taste? No, I don’t think so. They’re also far more complex and nuanced than you might expect. There’s plenty to chew on. The prices are also very reasonable, which is a huge mark in their favour.

If you’re a whisky newbie, these might be a good step up. If you’re an experienced drinker used to shelling out pretty pennies for your drams, these are affordable drinks for everyday tippling. Give these a chance. You might be glad you did.

If you’re interested in picking up a bottle of these whiskies, Brown-Forman, owners of Jack Daniel’s, have recently opened a LazMall Flagship Store, which you can check out here.

If you want to read more about what our friends have to say, why not check out Spirited Singapore’s article here?