Jack Daniel's Tennessee Tasters Selection: High Angel's Share

Tennessee Tasters’ Selection: High Angel’s Share Barrels

Cost: $30-$40 at Jack Daniels Distillery (can’t remember exact price)

Age: Approx. 5yr 9mo (Barreled January 2013 and bottles released October 2018)

Proof: 107

Mash Bill: 80% corn, 12% barley, 8% rye

This is a Tennessee only offering (mostly at the distillery). There were approximately 24,000 375mL bottles. This was one of the first “Tennessee Tastes’ Selection” series offerings back in 2018. The story behind this expression is that there were a set of barrels filled in January of 2013 that the angels took more of their share than normal. This means the barrels had lost a significantly more amount of whiskey to evaporation than normal, which resulted in a more robust flavoring in the remaining whiskey in the barrel. I had a family member that purchased one a bottle when they visited the distillery back then and have been sitting on a half bottle of it for a few years now. So I get a chance to try it!

Appearance: Dark amber in color. With a swirl, it beads beautifully around the glass and appears very oily.

Nose: Very potent! There's a lot of caramel and oak. I get a some spiced apple, and I don’t know if it's just because I'm trying to look for it, but there is a hint of banana. I would describe this nose overall as “sweet and spicy.” It's also rather astringent and burns my nose a bit.

Palate: Barrel char stands out first, closely followed by sweet dark fruits. There's a hefty spice, and a decent burn. With a hearty chew, I get some very nice sweet cherry. This coats the palate well but has a strong, astringent feel in the tingling that remains on the palate.

Finish: There’s a hug that builds, with some sweet, caramelized oak. The finish is fairly mild for how astringent it was otherwise.

Rating: 6.6/10

Overall: This is rather complex with some bold dark fruits that I'm not used to picking up in JD products, but that I'm a sucker for. So, this resonated with me pretty well. I was a little put off by how astringent this one was in the nose and the palate.

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