This review covers Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel Select at 47% ABV in the 750ml bottle — not the 45% bottling sold in some markets, and not the Single Barrel Barrel Proof, Rye or other Single Barrel releases. This is a single-barrel whiskey, so individual bottles can vary: the tasting notes here describe the barrel I tasted. Some barrels lean a little more acidic and others a little more bitter, but in my experience no bottle strays completely from this profile. I tasted it neat first, then with water, over ice and as a highball.
Above all, this is about oak. The nose is powerful and concentrated, with a little alcohol, and brings caramel, grain, spice and oak. In the mouth it’s oily and smooth with a rich, dense palate: caramel, banana, nuts, a touch of herbs, melon and chocolate, held together by strong spice and oak. The finish is long, with spice and concentrated oak lingering.
Neat, it’s powerful and rich, and although a little alcohol shows, it’s very satisfying. It has real character, so it won’t suit everyone, but if you’re after a woody, robust American whiskey, it fits the bill. For what it’s worth, I’m not a big fan of Jack Daniel’s Old No. 7, but I genuinely enjoy this one: it has noticeably more cask character and heft.
It also works in more than one way. Over ice the oak moves to the front and it gets even richer, with a slight glue-like note that isn’t really a negative, and it has the weight to be sipped slowly. With water the fruit comes forward and the spice softens without losing much body; a small splash brings out a rich, pleasant oak and clear sweetness. The highball is the weak spot: it turns bitter, the cask comes through a little too strongly, and the balance isn’t great.
For another robust, oak-and-spice-driven American whiskey, see my Wild Turkey Rare Breed review; for a more polished, oak-led bourbon, see Woodford Reserve Distiller’s Select, or browse our American Whiskey reviews.