Jack Daniels American Single Malt Oloroso Sherry Cask Finished

Jack Daniels American Single Malt Oloroso Sherry Cask Finished

Cost: €95 for 1L bottle at Munich International Airport

Age: NAS (reported 5 year first maturation and 3 year finishing)

Proof: 90

Mash Bill: 100% malted barley

Now, I’m generally a big fan of Sherry cask finished whiskey. However, I passed on this the last international trip I took. When I recently took a trip to Portugal, I passed on it the first two duty free shops I passed through as well. It’s just a high price point for something that JD isn’t exactly known for (American Single Malt). I mean, JD offers a SiB BiB in duty free shops only that’s about 2/3 the cost of this bottle and it’s a total banger! (See my 1st review of it and my 2nd review of it). So that just makes it hard to go for this bottle to me. But the past few months, I’ve gotten more into American Single Malts. So, before I got on the plane for the last leg of my trip, I decided to go ahead and pull the trigger. Let’s see if there’s any regret…

Reviewed neat in a glencairn.

Appearance: It’s literally Sherry in color, with thin, fast legs.

Nose: A short stack of pancakes with a generous pour of maple syrup with plums and blackberries, maybe even a little cherry. I feel like chocolate malt must be used in this because I’m definitely picking up notes of chocolate and roasted malt. There’s also a hint of banana bread that I’m picking up in the depth of the aroma.

Palate: The distinctive malty, somewhat funky profile that I get with American Single Malts is definitely there. However, this is not as light and delicate as most ASMs are as I’m getting heavier, richer notes of chocolate covered cherries, buttery biscuits, deep oak and acidic sweetness. The Oloroso Sherry Cask finish definitely shows up in the palate for me. The mouthfeel is kinda thinner than other JD products, but creamier than other ASMs I’ve had. It coats the palate very well though allowing you to pick up on the rather robust set of notes for a 90 proof whiskey.

Finish: The finish is short. Stone fruit and sweet oak linger. The mouthfeel fades into an acidic dryness in the finish. There’s a very light hug that I find sitting at the bottom of my throat as a mild warming sensation.

Rating: 7.3/10

Overall: This isn’t an expression that I’ve followed too closely over the last year or so. However, it has occasionally fallen into a my field of view through WhiskeyTube, reddit posts, or general feed on my phone. And in all of that, I feel like the general consensus for this was just average. A lot of people describe it as unexciting or playing it safe. Me…I love it! I think this is a damn good whiskey! I’m a sucker for Sherry cask finished whiskey’s and the rich red, stone fruit notes that they bring, and this doesn’t disappoint. I think this is a fantastic marriage of Sherry cask finish, American Single Malt whiskey, and Jack Daniel’s. I do wish the ASM profile was a little more dominant though. While I get the malty notes of ASM, the delicate body and lighter notes are missing. The Sherry cask I think just completely dominated them and doesn’t allow them to shine through. 3 years in a finishing cask is no joke! It could be that just cutting off a year or even two could allow the ASM character to shine through a little more. The glimpses of ASM notes that I did get are good though, so I don’t think there’s anything that should be hidden by over-finishing.

Behind the Bottle: Jack Daniel’s first entered the American Single Malt market in 2022 with a their twice barreled American Single Malt. Then in 2023 they released their second ASM expression, which is this one. While you can find a decent amount of info online about the twice barreled expression, even from JD’s website, there’s very little out there about this Oloroso Sherry Cask finished expression. It’s actually quite humorous when you go to Jack Daniel’s website to see what they have to say about it right now (3/24/24). You get 9 words: “Say hello to - Richer Sipping - New American Single Malt.” That’s it! You would think with a new offering that’s been out for about a half year or more now there would be a more substantial writeup about it on their website. What I know for sure is that this is a travel exclusive only bottle. Other than that, all I have for certain is what’s on the bottle label. Breaking Bourbon has a review that contains probably the most info out there about aging time, casks, quantity, etc. that is reported as being per master distiller Chris Fletcher. I have no reason to think it’s not reliable info, but it would be nice for Jack Daniel’s to release more information themselves.

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