Review: Blanton's Single Barrel versus Jack Daniel's Single Barrel

The Single Barrel Whiskey Trend
Lately, a lot of American whisky producers have been trumpeting their respective "single barrel" editions.  These releases are marketed as premium whiskies at premium prices, of course.

The vast majority of American whisky (whether it be bourbon, Tennessee or otherwise) is basically a blend (that takes place after aging) of many barrels (of varying ages, barrel char, grain spirits, etc)  to achieve a signature taste (in accordance with the distillery's recipe).  Hence, the general flavor consistency from year to year with the likes of Jack Daniel's Old No. 7 or say one of my favorites: Jim Beam Black.

Single barrel whisky is simply a bottling based upon well, you guessed it, a single barrel.  Is it better?  I am not so sure.  It can be more expensive for the producer and so the steeper price is not a surprise.  But, again, is it worth it?  Recently, I chose two American single barrel whiskies with a view to examining this critical question.

Jack Daniel's Single Barrel Select Tennessee Whiskey
I have reviewed this whisky in the past (click here) and found it too strong for my liking.  But, that review only pertained to that particular barrel (number 9-4870) bottled on November 24th, 2009.

Well, the particular bottling before me now was bottled June 6th, 2011 from barrel number 11-2796 and it is quite different.

By different, I want to make clear that this particular JD release tastes distinctly within the house style of Jack Daniel's, but altered in terms of emphasis.  Anyhow, let's move to the tasting note of the 2011 bottling.

Nose (undiluted)
Big vanilla, sawdust, saddle leather.

Palate (undiluted)
Clean limestone filtered spring water, very refreshing.  Huge oak timber, vanilla, burnt brown sugar, smooth Virginia tobacco, old leather.

Finish (undiluted)
Tangy citrus and oak char.  Long, lingering finish that is quite rewarding.

General Impressions
This is a very powerful whisky.  Certainly not to be trifled with at 47% ABV.  I like this more than the last bottle I had that was the subject of an earlier review.  But, the question remains, do I like it at the elevated price point?

Not really.  I can appreciate that this is fine Tennessee whisky, and it is refined, with nothing offensive, but it just does not satisfy my value for money test.  Why?  A bit too big for my liking without the complexity that should be there for the price.  Matter of fact, I often prefer it with an ice cube.  Let it melt for a minute and then sip.  I just like the chill the ice brings.  Tones it down more to my tastes (of course when you add ice, you throw away any chance of tasting complexity of flavors).  Sometimes it is more enjoyable neat, but it really depends on my mood.  I find adding water doesn't work here.  Ice is a must if you are not in the mood for this big dog neat.  At the same time, I can appreciate the bold flavors would serve as a great foundation for certain cocktails like Manhattans.

 At a recent whisky club meeting, I featured Jack Daniel's Single Barrel along with Blanton's Single Barrel Reserve.  Putting aside cost considerations, most members preferred Jack Daniel's.  Matter of fact, they thoroughly enjoyed the Jack Daniel's.  So, I was in the minority that preferred the Blanton's.

Blanton's Single Barrel Bourbon Special Reserve 40% ABV (dumped on May 28th, 2012 from Barrel 349 of warehouse 'H' on Rick no. 55)
This particular release is currently not available in the continental US, but rather only in the duty free market at airports and in export markets like Canada.

This bourbon is bottled at 40% which should give you a clue that it is a lot gentler than the Jack Daniels, and other Blanton's releases for that matter.

While it is a "single barrel" release, I am not so sure it was literally poured from the barrel.  I strongly suspect that this is not bottled at barrel strength (equivalent to cask strength in single malt parlance), but rather diluted to 40% ABV.  I mean, what are the odds they factored in the angel's share, aging to optimum taste to bring it out at 40% ABV.  If they had to add water, is it fair to call it "single barrel?"  At least with regards to this Blanton's edition, it may be a mistake to equate single barrel bottling with barrel strength bottling.

If you visit the Blanton's website, you will note that this bourbon is described as an introduction to the single barrel style of bourbon.  When you read "introductory" think "gentle" and you will be in tune with what they intend.  A gentle introduction to single barrel bourbon.

Nose (undiluted)
Light, ethereal charcoal, Fall early morning air.

Palate (undiluted)
Classic light tasting bourbon with delicate, even herbaceous notes of charcoal, vanilla and Belgian waffles.

Finish (undiluted)
Clean, effervescent, lentils, herbs, baking soda, warm cinnamon flavored apple pie.

General Impressions
Blanton's is the winner for me.  It is softer, easier to understand and due to its herbaceous nature, more complex.  If you like Canadian whisky, light single malt Scotches, this one is for you.

I do like big ballsy whiskies, but I find Jack Daniel's lacks the complexity and balance that I seek in such a style of whiskey.  Again, this is not to say it is a poor or disappointing whiskey.  No, that is not the case.  It is simply different and does not accord with my tastes like the Blanton's does.

While I enjoy the taste of Blanton's over the Jack Daniel's, the former has an even higher price point that also fails the value for money test I have in my mind.  I paid $60 for the Blanton's and there are a lot finer bourbons for that price or a little more.  Just think Old Rip Van Winkle 10 year old bourbon.  Far more complex, refined, sophisticated, pleasing and all round more interesting than the above two suggestions.  Hell, Maker's Mark is better.

One final thought.  Whether a bourbon or a Tennessee whiskey is single barrel or not is not necessarily indicative of quality.  Just suggests a production manner that is supposed to be more personal where the distillery blender (or a panel of fellas at the distillery weigh in too) personally chooses barrels for release.

Single barrel whisky by its nature varies considerably from barrel to barrel.  Exploring this type of whisky requires some guts and money.  You may discover a gem or realize you over paid by 30% or so.  I really think single barrel products are for the bourbon and Tennessee whisky aficionados, rather than the dabblers and fair-weather friends of American whisky, like me, whose chief concern is a good, solid drink at a reasonable price.

Cheers!


Jason Debly

Copyright © Jason Debly, 2009-2013. All rights reserved. Any and all use is prohibited without permission.

Jack Daniel's Old No. 7 - Tennessee Whiskey Review

I spent the past week in Halifax, Nova Scotia for a work related conference.  Trapped in a meeting room by day and bored by night, my habit when travelling for work is to seek out great restaurants and the best purveyors of fine whiskey.  My trip to Halifax would not deviate from this practice.

I landed in the early evening, hopped in a cab and headed for the hotel down by the harbor.  Check-in involved slapping down a credit card, tossing my luggage on the bed and a quick double-back to the concierge's desk.

"Where's nearest liquor store?" I inquired.

"They are all closed," the blue blazer wearing early sixties gent replied with a Magnum P.I. Higgins character English accent.

"There is of course our mini-bar . . ."  His voice trailed off as precipitously as Thelma and Louise headed off that cliff in the closing scene of that stupid movie that I had to endure with some long forgotten girlfriend in a living room with red shag carpet, wood paneling on the walls, and her ever watchful, military, father down the hall. 

"Mini-bar . . . mini-bar" I fumed as I headed back to my room.  As I unpacked, I debated whether or not to wait until tomorrow, find a nice liquor store, select a great whisky and enjoy it in the evening.  On the other hand, I said to myself, "ya never know, there could be a real gem in the mini-bar just like that time I was in Maine and in a grocery store and all they had for whisky was Jim Beam Black.  That was a gem!"  More than a gem, it was a revelation of the tallest order, up there with Moses coming down Mount Sinai.  Anyway, you get the picture.  I was a tortured soul.

To distract myself, I flicked on the television, started unpacking and thought about going to the gym and doing some running.  One time I was in Vancouver for a meeting and was up every morning at 4am, ran for an hour on a treadmill, did a day of meetings and still had pep for a restaurant at night and touring that delightful city.  This time around, the urge for running didn't seem to come so effortlessly.

To make a long story short, I opened the mini-bar, peered in and saw the usual array of light beer for middle aged men worried about carbs and calories.  I surveyed some spicy Clamato juice, Grey Goose Vodka, yeesh!, and a 375 ml of Jack Daniels Old Number 7.  My first thought was "what the hell is Tennessee whiskey doing in a refrigerator!"  What depraved soul could commit such an inane indignity upon a bottle of this American whisky?  I knew what I had to do.  God himself would have commanded me to do it if I asked him.  Matter of fact Moses probably had it chiseled into the tablet, "Thou shalt rescue all Tennessee whisky from bowels of any refrigerator!"  The commandment or mitvah must have got lost at some point.  I am sure of it.  It is such a self-evident truth.

Of course, I did what any God fearing man would do, I plucked the chilled bottle from the fridge and set it down on a table next to a rather comfortable wing-back chair.  It needed to warm up.  Coincidentally, so did I.  I retrieved two glasses, one filled with ice water, the other empty, waiting for Ol' No. 7.

The last time I had Jack Daniels was in a trendy wine bar a couple of years back that was so trendy they didn't have any scotch.  I reluctantly asked the waitress repetitively "what else do you have?" until she finally remarked there was Jack Daniels.  I said sure and tried it on ice.  It was not what I expected.  First of all, I was ready for a snake bite taste coupled with a burning sensation that would leave me writhing on the Italian tile floor winded like Dustin Hoffman in the Marathon Man.  That was not the case.  I recall it was corn sweet with no burn.  The ice softened it nicely and there was some vanilla and charcoal.  In a flash it was gone.  Tasty drink.

Once the bottle warmed up, I tasted it neat.  The ice water was for drinking in between sips of Jack Daniels.  Over the course of the week, (except for one night when I went to a sushi restaurant and enjoyed some Yamazaki 12 and 18), I sampled this Tennessee whiskey and finalized the following tasting note:

Nose
Damp leaves; big American oak; a whiff of turned over earth with a spade in the early morning in search of worms to take brook fishing; big time vanilla.

Palate
Starts on sweet, that's the corn.  Moves to oak, charcoal and vanilla.

Finish
It's short.  The sweetness leaves and it dries across the palate.  Flavors of oak and vanilla dissipate almost instantly.  Nothing lingers very long.

General Impressions
I was again surprised at how mild this whiskey turned out in the glass.  No burn, rough or out of balance flavors.  It's very easy drinking.  Kinda reminds me of Basil Hayden's bourbon, but without the complexity.  If you drink Jack Daniel's Old No. 7 with ice, it is about as easy drinking as one can get.  Trouble of course is easy drinking runs the risk of not being overly interesting.  That would be the weakness of this whiskey.  It is not complex.  The flavors roll out in a straight forward manner.  Mind you, this is the entry-level, standard bottling of Jack Daniels, and so this observation has to be tempered by that fact.  Just as we do not expect wondrous complexity from Jim Beam White Label, or moving across the pond, from Famous Grouse, Johnnie Walker Red label and others, it would be unfair to place such demands on this standard, entry level offering from Jack Daniels.

For my tastes, I enjoyed it for what it was, a simple, mild American whisky.  Would I buy it?  No.  I require some complexity, even when I want an easy-going whisky.  Accordingly, I would buy Jim Beam Black Label but that is an 8 year old bourbon.  I am sure that Jack Daniel's premium lines like Gentleman Jack and Single Barrel would offer the complexity I seek. 

Do I dislike it?  No.  Would I recommend it?  Sure, for someone who has never tried American whiskey.  This is a good place to start.

Cheers!

Jason Debly

Copyright © Jason Debly, 2010. All rights reserved.