Review #400 - Jack Daniel's 12 Year Tennessee Whiskey
In recent years, Jack Daniel's has introduced some older age-stated Tennessee whiskies into their lineup. These are hard-to-find, limited releases, not a part of their core range; while MSRP is relatively reasonable, the secondary pricing is high due to the limited quantities available.
This 12 year version first arrived in 2023, and at the time of writing, there are 2 batches available: the first, from the inaugural year of release, as well as a second batch that dropped in 2024. Here, we have the first batch.
Along with that premium 12 year age statement, this is also bottled at a higher strength - 53.5% ABV, or 107 proof, which is a sweet spot for a lot of whiskies (in our opinion). How will that well-known Jack Daniel's whisky character react to an extended aging period?
Jack Daniel's 12 Year Tennessee Whiskey
USA - Tennessee
Current Locally Available Price: USD 300 (2024, based on recent auction results)
Age Statement: 12 Years
Strength: 53.5% ABV
Details: Batch 1, bottled 2023
Tasting Methodology: Reviewed 3 times (twice blind) over 4 months from a sample. Tasted in a Glencairn glass each time, rested 10-15 minutes
Nose: Rich and dark and brooding, full of sweet scents. Caramel and fudge, peanut butter, and red fruits - cherry juice, purple grapes, blackberry jam. There's quite a strong oak influence, which brings hints of wood smoke, some leather - very mature. At the end, little hints of sweet perfume and vanilla arrive.
Palate: A medium or so mouthfeel, and this leans heavily into the oak flavors. Barbecued wood, char, wood smoke, and some tannins; cinnamon, black pepper, dry vanilla, and burnt sugar add baking notes. Subtle twists of dark chocolate and black coffee hide in the background; it's warming, quite a dry palate.
Finish: Medium length or so, smoky, oaky, with some sugars - bruleed sugar, or burnt caramel. The complexion is still dark, and it's an intense finish; some leather and bitter tannins hint at that age again. In the aftertaste, soft notes of coffee and banana Runts candies linger.
Final Note: Wow, what an interesting whisky. For us, the tasting experience was really split into a couple distinct sections - the nose and the palate. The nose is absolutely divine, offering a plethora of sweet dessert-like notes and fruits - lots of chocolate, dark berries, and fudgy sugars.
The palate, on the other hand, is good, but struggles to live up to the dessert buffet that the nose teased. It's much more dry, a bit overrun by oak, with lots of wood smoke and burnt sugars... a little more simple, too. Still good, but we're missing the complex sweet notes to balance it out. Overall, a good whisky, but it doesn't quite reach 'great' for us.
Value here is tricky, due to the difference between MSRP and secondary pricing. At the $95 to $100 it's supposed to go for, we would pick this up in a heartbeat; on the secondary market, however, we would be very hesitant to pay a much higher price.
Our Average Rating: 7.5 / 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: 4.76
About Us: We're a husband and wife review team living in the Midwest United States. Generally, our reviews and tasting notes will be a compilation of both of our experiences with a whisky over several tasting sessions.
Check out our other Jack Daniel’s reviews:
Review #194 - Jack Daniel's Single Barrel Barrel Proof
