A little background

Jack Daniel Distillery hasn’t released a whiskey of 10 years or older for over 100 years until now. The barrels selected for this particular release have been aging in the “Buzzard’s Roost” and methodically relocated to the lower floors of different barrel houses to extend the aging process for the last 10 years. The extreme weather variation at different locations in the barrelhouses along with longevity in the handmade oak barrels creates an intense yet unique character of Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey.

Manufacturer: Jack Daniel Distillery
Mashbill: 80% Corn / 12% Malted Barley / 8% Rye
Location: Lynchburg, Tennessee
Proof / ABV: 97 / 48.5
Retail Price: $70

(Tasted neat from a Glencairn Glass)

Color

Bronze

Nose

Brown sugar and spice with vanilla, butterscotch and hints of banana. There is a tinge of ethanol on the nose.

Palate

Creamy viscosity with baking spice and vanilla up front transitioning to butterscotch, oak and banana on the mid to back palate.

Finish

Candy corn with vanilla, oak, and char.

In closing

Jack Daniel’s 10 Years Old is enjoyable and a great buy at $70. The nose has just a tinge of ethanol but has got such great notes of banana and brown sugar it really is just a glimpse of what’s to come. The palate at first is slightly sweet but turns into a butterscotch flavor bomb that mixed with the banana on the back palate is more like banana pudding. The finish rounds out the pour with an exclamation point with candy corn, vanilla, oak, and just the right amount of char.

The heat from the 97 proof is delightful as aromas of bananas and char come back in between sips causing your salivary glands to kick in. I highly recommend this bottle because it is an easy sipper with great flavor, great price, and can be enjoyed by almost any whiskey enthusiast.