Review #32 - Jack Daniel's Single Barrel Select

A Tennessee whisky this time, from Jack Daniel's: the Single Barrel Select. Due to the use of the Lincoln County Process, as with most Tennessee whiskies, we may expect to find a 'smoother' experience here, along with a bit of sweetness and a bit of wood smoke.

There's no age statement here, but it's generally believed to be from barrels that are five to six years old, so we can expect some more character than the standard black label bottlings will provide. With a bottling strength bumped up to 47% ABV as well, it's looking good so far.

Jack Daniel's Single Barrel Select

USA - Tennessee Whiskey

Current Locally Available Price: USD 48 (2023)

Age Statement: NAS

Strength: 47% ABV

Tasting Methodology: Reviewed 1 time; bottle at 100% fill level at time of review. Tasted in a Glencairn glass, rested 10-15 minutes

Nose: Rich oak notes, and lots of the classic American profile: sugars, hints of cherry, some wood spice, and wood sugar. There are bits of anise as well, hidden slightly away, and a tiny bit of black pepper. Later, we find an herbal note, a bit like eucalyptus.

Palate: Mouthfeel is medium-thin, and the palate is more spicy - black pepper and anise are stronger here, and the cherry becomes more muted, as well as slightly more medicinal. There are new spices as well, in the form of licorice, and then some fruit like grape and mild candied strawberry. We finish off with more oak and brown sugar.

Finish: A medium length finish, and more sugar and vanilla as it goes on. The sweeter notes are stronger here than the spiced palate, but we still find a bit of that licorice. The herbal note from the nose is back as well, still seems like eucalyptus.

Final Note: This is decent, even if it isn't necessarily standing out from the crowd. We always love to find a medicinal cherry and some anise, and this has both, to go along with some rye notes of pepper and herbs. It likely gets overshadowed by its big brother the Single Barrel Barrel Proof, which is fair; still, with more availability and a better price, this is a solid substitute.

Our Average Rating: 6.0 / 10

In the current whisky landscape of increasing prices and variable quality, we've added a value rating to our reviews that relates to the score and the available pricing of each whisky. This roughly equates to a 0-10 scale; no reviews so far have exceeded a score of 10, although it is technically possible for the formula to produce a value rating higher than 10 with a high enough score and low enough price.

Value Rating: 6.60