Jack Daniel’s American Single Malt Whiskey Review

BOTTLE DETAILS

• DISTILLER: Jack Daniel Distillery
• MASH BILL: 100 % American malted barley
• AGE: 5 years new charred American oak, 3 years used Oloroso sherry casks
• YEAR: 2023
• PROOF: 90 (45% ABV)
• MSRP: $99.99 for 1 liter bottle
• BUY ONLINE: Travel exclusive product – Not available online

STEVE’S NOTES

SHARE WITH: Any whiskey drinker who’s open-minded toward the yet-to-be-define American single malt whiskey category.

WORTH THE PRICE: Not for me.

BOTTLE, BAR OR BUST: Bottle because it’s for sale only through global travel retail and select military bases.

OVERALL: The nose leads with banana bread followed by ground malt, wet charred barrel, ripe raspberries, dried strawberries and some Milky Way candy bar. The palate leads with fish oil tablets, browned biscuit and ground grain that finishes with red fruits and an acidic tingle from the secondary Oloroso sherry cask notes. The finish, slightly drying and short, revisits that sherry acidity.

The nose and fish oil tablet flavor remind me distinctly of the malt whiskey made years ago by Jack’s Brown-Forman kin, Woodford Reserve. Since that whiskey’s barley content was just 51 percent, the fish oil note wasn’t quite as prominent, but it was unexpected all the same. I didn’t come ’round to it then and haven’t this time either.

If you’re a traditional single malt lover, don’t expect aromas and flavors common to those in this pour. That, said master distiller Chris Fletcher, is by design.

“This was never an attempt to create a Scottish- or Irish-style malt whiskey,” Fletcher said on a press Zoom call. “We were trying to create a modern version of single malt whiskey … to make a malt whiskey the best we could in a Tennessee style and an American way. It was always intended to be a very different product.”

Mission accomplished. This is something definitely unique, but something which doesn’t leave me wanting more. Meantime, I’ll stick to seeking out those new and amazing Tennessee whiskeys and ryes coming out of Lynchburg.

BRAND NOTES

Jack Daniel’s American Single Malt is the latest innovation from the Jack Daniel Distillery, featuring a 100% malted barley mash bill that is ground, fermented and distilled in Lynchburg, Tennessee. The special whiskey is charcoal mellowed and then aged in new, charred American oak barrels before being finished in Oloroso Sherry Casks.

“When we began experimenting with a 100% malt grain bill back in 2012, we knew it would be critical to put our own stamp on timeless Single Malt traditions and craft something that was uniquely Jack Daniel’s,” said Jack Daniel’s Master Distiller Chris Fletcher. “There was a lot of excitement surrounding our limited edition American Single Malt Special Release last year, and we are thrilled to now offer Jack Daniel’s American Single Malt to our friends around the world.”

Jack Daniel’s American Single Malt is rich and complex with aromas of soft oak, fruit and cocoa and notes of dark chocolate-covered nuts and berries with a subtle, sweet Oloroso Sherry finish. Distinctive packaging features a cork stopper and an embossed distillery stamp of America’s First Registered Distillery.

Disclaimer: Bourbon & Banter received a sample of this product from the brand for review. We appreciate their willingness to allow us to review their products with no strings attached. Thank you.