Jack Daniel’s 10 Year Tennessee Whiskey

Spirit: Jack Daniel’s 10 Years Old Tennessee Whiskey

Distillery: Jack Daniel’s

Aged: 10 Years

Price: $70

Proof: 97

Jack Daniel’s Website

About Jack Daniel’s Distillery:

“Crafting something that endures for over 150 years takes time and character. You’ll find plenty of both in the people and history that make Jack Daniel’s.

In 1866, Jack Daniel Distillery was officially established, making it the very first registered distillery within the US, with Jack as the Master Distiller. The opening of his now-famous distillery would follow shortly thereafter, right next to Jack Daniel’s prime resource: the mineral-rich Cave Spring Hollow.

Jack Daniel’s is in an exciting new era of innovation that’s sure to please new and veteran whiskey enthusiasts alike.”

About the Jack Daniel’s 10 Year:

“It’s been 100 years or so since the Jack Daniel Distillery released a whiskey of 10 years of age or greater. Evolving Jack Daniel’s past aged-stated whiskey process, these Tennessee Whiskey barrels have been aging in the Buzzard’s Roost of our barrelhouse, and methodically relocated to the lower floors of different barrel houses to extend the aging process for the last 10 summers. The extreme weather variation at different locations in the barrel houses along with longevity in our handmade oak barrels creates an intense, unique character of Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey. 

Discover Jack Daniel’s 10 Year Old Tennessee Whiskey for yourself. We think you’ll agree, it’s well worth the wait.”

  • Nose
    (3)
  • Palate
    (4.5)
  • Proof vs Heat
    (4)
  • Value
    (4.5)
4

Summary

Nose: Caramelized bananas, charred oak, ethanol

Palate: Dried fruits and butterscotch, maraschino cherry, toasted brown sugar, oak

Finish: leather, banana, baking spice

Review: This is not your grandad’s Jack Daniel’s and, diving into this pour, it surprisingly exceeded my expectations. There is definitely a place for Jack Daniel’s No. 7, but, it has a very unique flavor profile that not all are fond of. One of the key steps in the Lincoln County Process is filtering fresh whiskey through charcoal chips, or “mellowing” as it is referred to by the distillery. This gives Tennessee Whiskey, specifically, Jack Daniel’s, a much deeper smoke and charred oak flavor than that of its bourbon counterparts. Jack Daniel’s 10 year does a great job of paying homage to its younger siblings but offering something entirely new.

My initial taste started off with the only (somewhat) negative thing that I had experienced this pour. The nose is very flavorful, offering a unique caramelized banana sweetness with oak pushing through. The problem is that it is followed by a very rough, and quite frankly, off-putting, ethanol bite. When I was trying to experience the depths the nose offered, it was hard to move past the slap-in-the-face that the ethanol was dishing out. It is a shame because I very much enjoyed finding the smell that reminded me of sitting down at Fogo de Chao and getting the little dish of bananas before getting the meat sweats. The palate was very thin but packed a punch of flavor. The delicious fruit and butterscotch (not like the candy more like fresh butterscotch pudding) really allowed the Lincoln County Process “smoke” flavor to shine without taking over as it typically does in the No.7 bottle. The finish was pleasant and rounded out the pour with a “bourbon-esque” leather flavor, a little more of the banana comes through, and the rye baking spices finalize (what I considered to be) a pretty fantastic pour. It was like sitting down with an old friend who you haven’t seen in years. They’ve matured. You’ve matured. It’s different, but similar, and very much for the better. I think that Jack Daniel’s fans can appreciate the complex flavors of this bottle offers, but still know that deep down, it’s your old friend Jack. And I think that people who aren’t too fond of Jack Daniel’s could find something special in this bottle, getting a lot more of the traditional bourbon flavors with the tradition of Jack still peeking through this bottle. Cheers!  

7 Comments

  1. MICHAEL Flick November 10, 2021
    • Greg Sinadinos November 12, 2021
  2. Armhad Asbury November 15, 2021
  3. Charles F Samuel, Sr. November 15, 2021
    • Greg Sinadinos November 16, 2021
  4. Dean Cooper November 21, 2021
  5. Chris Suttrich November 26, 2021

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