Jack Daniel's Single Barrel Select Tennessee Whiskey

I sampled JD bonded and a JD store pick (Batch) side-by-side.... You can tell the difference after a few sips. Since the bonded is a blend of many barrels, it's more consistent, even though it might be a bit sweeter and richer with more banana. The single barrel pick has a subtle smokiness and is a bit drier, but in a pleasant way. The banana is present but with a hint of nuttiness on the finish. I detect a slight metallic note on the aroma of both tonight, which carries over somewhat to the taste of the single barrel. The bonded has a bit more of an oaky cardboard aroma...... BUT WAIT.......AND IT TURNS OUT I MISIDENTIFIED THE POURS. I WAS SO SURPRISED I HAD TO POUR ANOTHER GLASS OF BONDED TO CONFIRM I HADN'T MIXED UP THE BLIND TASTE. THE BONDED VERSION IS SUPERIOR. SO MY INITIAL NOTES ARE INCORRECT; THE BONDED WAS WHAT I THOUGHT WAS THE SINGLE BARREL.

[Nose] - Vanilla and Chocolate. - Becomes more like banana flesh as time goes on after pouring. - Spicy, but not an overpowering alcohol smell. - Starts with maple, then shifts to a rich fruit scent like cherry. [Palate] - Enters lightly. - Sweet - Mildly spicy. - A hint of bitterness. [Finish] - A slight floral scent. - Sweet vanilla - A mild woody and grainy scent that returns after swallowing.

Nose: wood, banana, plum, leather Taste: sugary, very sugary like candy, also cherry notes on taste. A very impressive finish with more sweetness, it almost tastes like cherry cola at the end. I really love this bottle; for $45, it's tough to find a bottle with this much flavor. This marked my return to Jack Daniel's current offerings, as I used to think it was just Old No. 7 mixed with coke and ginger ale, or just slamming shots to get drunk in my youth, haha. This bottle was my entry into exploring other Jack Daniel's products now, and if you haven't noticed, they're quite good.

Nose: Charred and smoky scents. The aroma opens up after airing and dilution. Corn, banana (vanilla), spice, caramel aromas. Palate: Very intense. Spice, vanilla, and honey notes. A rich and complex body that coats the mouth, slightly charred. Finish: A long and sweet finish, with vanilla, oak, and smoke detected. Overall Impression: This whiskey becomes smooth and well-rounded after airing. It demonstrates the importance of aeration and dilution for a better taste at higher proof. 85/100

85 Nose: dirt, medium intensity, vanilla, nice and delicate, yet pronounced 22 Taste: a little rougher, a slight hint of alcohol, the corn is quite prominent, then a very toasted barrel appears, lightly vanilla, woody notes 21 Finish: warming, a bit alcoholic, barrel, a delicate aftertaste of vanilla and toasted barrel lingers in the mouth for quite some time 21 Overall: Nice, but the alcohol is a bit rough, and it has a rough feel overall, nice heavily toasted barrel and light vanilla. After a while of drinking, I'm enjoying it more, but everything above still applies 21

PREPARED -Neat AROMA -Immediately sweet. -Like raspberries dipped in chocolate? -Root beer. PALATE -Slightly hot. -Smooth. Reminiscent of a root beer float. -Around thirty seconds later, butterscotch or caramel. Quite intriguing. IMPRESSIONS While I'm not completely enamored with it, it does stand out from other whiskeys I've sampled. The smooth texture was enjoyable and brought a novel quality. It strongly brought to mind a Barq's root beer float! It would be great to contrast this with standard JD. Perhaps I'll do that in the future.