Jack Daniel's 10 Year Tennessee Whiskey (Batch 1)

Aroma: warm banana nut bread, a drizzle of maple syrup, and a hint of smoke. Taste: begins with a touch of baking spice, possibly allspice with a hint of clove. The flavors then become fruitier, featuring ripe, dark berries coated in caramel. The mouthfeel is coating and soothing, like a well-intentioned cough drop without the medicinal taste. It concludes with a hint of brown sugar. Finish: a satisfyingly long finish where the banana bread and maple syrup, swirled with gentle smokiness, linger. Truly excellent! Overall: this bottle unfortunately sat in the back of my liquor cabinet while trendier options came and went. However, this is a stunning bottle. It's amazing what this recipe yields when aged for a longer period! You can sense the influence of Old #7, but this is much fuller and more flavorful. I've enjoyed most limited Jack Daniel's expressions I've tried (the Rye didn't impress me due to a waxy, artificial note), and I believe some of the gold label single barrel, barrel proofs are among the best available whiskies. This hits most of the right notes for me. The proof is ideal, and the balance between spice and sweetness might be slightly off, as the spice initially comes on very strong, but it's like a good old friend. I'm eager to compare it to the 12-year-old version.

I typically only favor the single barrel Jack Daniels with the gold label Bottled-in-Bond being an excellent pour. This one arrived with significant buzz and even ranked on Whiskey Advocate's top bottles list, so when I found one, I decided to try it. The aroma is quite classic, with strong brown sugar notes. The extra time in the barrel definitely smooths out any alcohol notes that tend to stand out in the younger standard label. The first sip definitely offers cocoa notes at the front. This might sound odd, but I'm detecting subtle banana notes. It's almost like a light chocolate-covered banana sensation. There's a mild heat that spreads across the mid-sip and fades gently like a dying campfire. Overall, it's nice, but honestly, for all the hype, that's all I can say. The private barrels I've tasted are far superior and offer much more flavor and vibrancy. Is it an improvement over the standard JD? Yes. Is it worth searching everywhere for? Not to me. You'd be better off getting one of the single barrel blacks or, if you're lucky, the gold label, rather than following the crowd to find this one.

The nose is very sweet, with notes of maple, cocoa, banana, cola, lime, walnuts, and oak. There's a bit more ethanol than expected for a spirit under 100 proof. The palate largely mirrors the nose, offering more maple, caramel, light banana, vanilla, cola, and lime/citrus. Oak is present on the palate, positively showcasing the 10 years of aging. The finish brings rye spice, saddle leather, and oak tannins, fading into a pleasant flan-like character. While I appreciate a morphing finish, this one is exceptionally short and bone dry. The mouthfeel is prickly. While the above might not sound like a perfect score, the overall experience is greater than the sum of its parts, coming together nicely with a decent level of uniqueness. I significantly overpaid at $99.99, so I can't judge it on price. Is it worth the $70 retail? Probably not. Make no mistake, this is a fine whiskey, but it's more of a $40-50 bottle for me, so I won't be repurchasing.

Nose: Concentrated caramel syrup, sweet wood with aged oak, marshmallow, and overwhelming maple and banana notes. Palate: Candied raisins, aged wood character in the best way, syrupy maple. Mouthfeel: The 97 proof is ideal, the intense maple flavor is enhanced and balanced by a decade on oak. Effortless, you'll get into trouble if you have the opportunity. I dislike the cost in comparison to the former distiller editions (I am old enough to have appreciated them more than today's bourbon enthusiasts), those were $35-50, this was $63+tax, at which I am fortunate to have obtained it. However, I like it more than the average of those... this is obvious for Jack Daniels enthusiasts who appreciate the profile. I was choosing between this and a very inexpensive 1.75 of Gentleman before exiting the store and this was the correct decision.

Aroma: ethanol and butterscotch, vanilla, and perhaps a touch of orange zest. Palate: easy to drink, light, with very little ethanol burn. I know you whisky fans dislike the word 'smooth', but that's what it is. Incredibly smooth. Finish: this is where the dram falls short. It has no finish; it's gone as soon as it appears. That's the difference that prevents this expression from getting higher marks. It's simply absent. Overall: a very good pour, but it's mostly hype. If this had a finish like their barrel proof, it would be a standout. I revisited this bottle after two days. It's had some air and it's now a real standout. I originally rated it 3.5; it's easily a 4 out of 4 now.

Nose: Faint hints of maple alongside traditional whiskey notes, with a touch of raw alcohol if you inhale deeply. Palate: Heavy viscosity that coats the entire tongue, almost chewable. It's dry, as if the barrel has extracted all the sweetness. Finish: Dry, prompting a desire for a glass of water. A slight warmth on the finish with an oaky conclusion. I'm not a big Jack Daniel's fan; I've had some single barrels I couldn't get enough of, but it's not my usual choice. This is an improvement over old No. 7, with strong flavor, a bit on the sour side, and a milder warmth on the finish. Traditional expressions seem sweeter after trying this.