So recently I was spending time with a few old friends. The topic of what we do outside of work and family lives came up, and when I said I wrote for a whiskey blog there was sudden silence. And of course the next round of questions began of what is the best whiskey, and what is my favorite. I had some opinions, and then a question I didn’t expect came along in the form of of “how does it compare to Jack? ”
Now I certainly have had plenty of time with my friend Jack, mostly in my ill spent youth and as a mix base. We spent a week together after a bitter divorce, and days better forgotten as a partier past my prime. But for the life of me I couldn’t look at my friends and say that I had ever taken a critical eye and reviewed the Old No. 7. So in the interest of being transparent and to satisfy my own curiosity, I went out and purchased a bottle of Jack Daniel’s.
I am sure that all of us seasoned connoisseurs know this sour mash Tennessee whiskey quite well. Born in Lynchburg Tennessee, a dry county, and bottled at 80 proof. Corn mash filtered through charcoal, 10 feet of sugar maple charcoal to be precise. Jack is ageless ( no age statement) whiskey, but it is matured in newly charred white oak barrels.
Jack Daniel’s Old No. 7 is the original JD, and here’s what I think of it.
Tasting Notes:
Color- Medium amber
Nose- butterscotch, smoke, vanilla, light caramel, hint of toffee
Palette- butterscotch, heat, wood and smoke, pepper, smooth
Finish- sweet, a bite that smooths out quickly, vanilla caramel and a touch of oak
Conclusion:
There is more to my old friend Jack Daniels than I remember from my twenty-somethings. Time has changed me, but Jack is still the same, and I appreciate him more. Like my real friends who called me out on this, thank you for helping me keep it real and staying in touch with my roots. As I gladly walk down this old road with you, I learn more about you, me and Mr. Daniels.
bye.
