Review #87 - Jack Daniel's Black Label
Black Label Mini-Series: Part 3 of 3
Our last 'Black Label' whisky is Jack Daniel's entry level Tennessee Sour Mash Whiskey. Another one of the bestselling whisky brands, especially in the United States, this is the entry point of a huge number of people into the whisky hobby.
As this is a Tennessee whisky, it went through the Lincoln County process, which is an additional charcoal filtration step done by steeping the spirit in charcoal chips - in the case of Jack Daniel's, it's specifically sugar maple wood chips. This is supposed to further 'mellow' the flavor of the whisky, which might be great if you're mixing it, but this is already bottled at a low 40% ABV, so flavor may be lacking.
Jack Daniel's Black Label
USA - Tennessee Whisky
Current Locally Available Price: USD 20 (2023)
Age Statement: NAS
Strength: 40% ABV
Tasting Methodology: Reviewed 4 times over 3 months; bottles at 100%, 60%, 30%, and 20% fill levels at times of review. Tasted in a Glencairn glass each time, rested 10-15 minutes
Nose: Boozy dirty bananas, like sickly sweet old mushy bananas; also ripe banana, bananas foster... holy bananas, batman. There's some youth here as well: corn grain, oatmeal, mild herbal notes, slightly chemical and some mild charcoal. There's a bit of toasty oak, not too much, but also some wood flavors like clove, soft white pepper, and a hint of cinnamon. At times it can be a bit creamy, but generally it isn't overly sweet. We finish with banana bread and a bit of cherry hiding in the background... this seriously reeks of banana.
Palate: Heavier on the oak on this palate, it's tart and sharp and slightly ashy like charcoal, or even a brittle wood smoke. The mouthfeel is medium-thin, and before we dive into the banana notes, we get some baking notes: vanilla, brown sugar, a baked biscuit, before a seriously grainy young spirit note comes to the front. Alright, let's do the banana stuff: seedy unripe banana, but also mushy banana in the background, a hint of bananas foster rum sauce. We can find that tiny cherry hint again if we're looking for it, and we end with some slightly drier oak, a hint of earthiness, and a mild peanut taste.
Finish: The finish is medium length, and past some mild char and slightly sour and spicy oak, it's a lot of banana once again, over-ripe and sweet now. Creamy vanilla and a sort of wheated bourbon note, but then we find some spicier tones of pepper, clove, and even some smoked paprika. We end with fake banana flavoring, like banana-flavored hard candies.
Final Note: Well, if you like bananas, you may like this one - that flavor is pretty dominant throughout, but especially on the nose. Past that, there is some evident youth here, and the extra charcoal filtering that makes this a Tennessee whisky leaves a little bit of a mark, as well. It's alright, not great - might be a good entry level whisky, but we aren't going to be buying another bottle.
Our Average Rating: 4.5 / 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: 6.57
