Jack Daniels Single Barrel Bottled in Bond

Reviewed neat in a glencairn.

Appearance: A rich, reddish mahogany. Medium legs that run down the side of the glass easily. Somewhat oily.

Nose: Woody sweetness. A slight banana profile. A little astringentness to the nose as well.

Palate: A pleasantly robust oak profile and vanilla followed by bananas caramelized in brown sugar. This is really quite oaky. I’m a bit surprised considering no age statement. This has a very nice mouthfeel and coats the entire mouth very well!

Finish: A sweet oakiness lingers with a light tingling all over the inside of the mouth. There is a very mild hug that lasts for a solid 20+ seconds. This is a very nice finish to me!

Rating: 8.5/10

Overall: This was great! I was really surprised. I normally associated JD with my crazier college days…Old No. 7 and I had some good times, and some REALLY bad times. But Jack Daniels really is killing it with their single barrel offerings in recent years. I’ve only tried 3 of them, but this is by far my favorite. I’m a sucker for BiB’s though. I think that 100-110 proof range is my bread and butter. This was full of flavor. It wasn’t too complex, however, I’m really curious how they got so much oak flavor in this. Without an age statement, I’m not thinking it’s too old, maybe just 6 or 7 years, but it was surprisingly oaky. This was a pleasant surprise!

Behind the Bottle: I picked this bottle up at the Venice airport when we were leaving Italy in April of this year. From what I understand, this Jack Daniels Single Barrel Bottled-in-Bond bottle is a rare find. It’s an “international” only offering, only sold in duty free stores at select airports around the world (EDIT: confirmed by others it can be found in US airports too). So, when I saw 5 at the Venice airport, I felt compelled to get it (and one for a friend) and I’m glad I did. (I also picked up a Jameson Triple Triple, which is also a duty free store exclusive, and it’s also VERY delicious for those into Irish whisky). If you get a chance to get your hands on a bottle of this, don’t hesitate to get it!

1 | Disgusting | So bad I poured it out.

2 | Poor | I wouldn’t consume by choice.

3 | Bad | Multiple flaws.

4 | Sub-par | Not bad, but many things I’d rather have.

5 | Good | Good, just fine.

6 | Very Good | A cut above.

7 | Great | Well above average

8 | Excellent | Really quite exceptional.

9 | Incredible | An all time favorite

10 | Perfect | Perfect