🥃Review 95: Jack Daniel's 12-Year 2026 Batch 4

Jack Daniel's 12-Year in front of a wood round and office plants

You are doubtless familiar with the omnipresent Jack Daniel's Old No. 7 Tennessee Whiskey, but you might not be aware that they also have also been cranking out some of the best juice in all of whiskey. Enthusiasts love their Single Barrel Barrel Proof Bourbon (yes the corn primary mash qualifies as a bourbon) and Rye Barrel proof offerings and you can also find the heritage edition and 14-year whiskey on the market today, all very solid bottles. They have also put out a 10-year iteration in their "aged" series at various points. Jack Daniel's 12-year splits the difference between the two bottles and has ben released yearly since 2023, targeting a candy-focused profile (less woody/leathery than the 14 and more spice/caramel forward than the 10).

🛒Sourced: $92.99 for 700ml from Costco Perimeter, GA - probably the best thing I've seen in there for years. They got 3 bottles each of the 12 and 14-year, all gone in a couple hours. MSRP is around $100 though secondary seems to be around $150 (don't buy from flippers please). The price on the 14 was about $45 more, steep for two extra years. My personal preference in bourbons

🧪Proof: 107 proof, 53.5% ABV - Might be my favorite proof. Good things happen at 107.

🎨Color: R5 - A cheery red-brown, clearly leggy but not overly so.

🥔Mash Bill & Production: 80% Corn, 12% Barley, 8% Rye - This whiskey starts out the same as all standard Jack but each batch is composed of specially selected barrels targeting specific flavor profiles, supposedly tailored to mimic that of historical age stated bottles from 100 years ago.

Age - 12-Year age statement
Distillation Proof - 140
Barrel Entry Proof - 125
Char - Jack has their own process for barrel prep featuring both a char and a toast in two stages. Toasting the staves for 4 hours at 450°F to break down wood sugars and caramelize them before Flash-Charring over a 1,500°F gas flame for exactly 4 minutes to create a rich carbon char layer.
Batch Size - Unknown, doesn't seem to be huge based on availability
Lincoln County Process - Yes, mellowed by a drop through 10ft of sugar maple charcoal, created by burning Jack Daniel's white dog saturated pallets.
Chill Filtered - Not specified as such but it does have a sediment warning which makes me assume its not chill filtered.

👃Nose: Approachable and complex, brown sugar, sandalwood, old leather, and a bit of Worcestershire sauce. I'm very much in a sweet Barbeque type vibe right off the bat.

😜Palate: Fairly dry, good thickness. Oak forward, accompanied by black pepper, walnut, and chocolate bark. There is a pervasive umami aspect that is quite unusual. In comparative tastings with more fruit forward pours, I get a sort of blackened seafood influence.

💦Finish: The barrel char and Worcestershire note flares briefly with just the slightest bite of alcohol, very smooth for the proof. Flavor sustains for a good duration, more of the same picking up a slight aspect corn and old books as it subsides.

🏆 Overall: 7.5/10 - Great - Ended up popping this one for a Birthday. Jack Daniel's Makes good whiskey and this bottle is no exception. It is very clean drinking and has a salty snack aspect that is quite rare in the bourbon category. If you have less of a sweet tooth, you simply must pick up this bottle.

💵Would buy again? I need to try the other iterations, but if I were to stumble upon it again at this price, it would be very hard to decline.

⚖️Rating Scale:

🙈Blind Tastings:

7/1/26 - Henry McKenna 10Yr > Jack Daniels 12YR (this bottle) > Russell's Reserve Single Barrel
7/12/26 - Fiddler Toasted > Jack Daniel's 12YR > Old Fitz Decanter

🥃Review 29: Costco's Kirkland Canadian Whisky - Is it Crown Royal?

Awarded 91 points and a gold medal by the Beverage Tasting Institute, Kirkland Canadian Whisky is known a great value and many in the popular culture have alleged that it is repackaged Crown Royal due to its relative quality for the price. But is it? 📚 Background: Kirkland first introduced their line of spirits in the 1990s and has expanded their offerings over time. While I wasn't able to find a first release date for this product, the first TTB label in the COLA database is from 2016. The whisky is imported for Costco by Wide World Importers in Louisville Kentucky. Digging a bit further reveals that Wide World Importers is an alternative name for SAZERAC . For me, this conclusively busts the popular myth that Kirkland Canadian is made by Crown Royal (a Diageo property). Sazerac has a number of Canadian Whisky brands in-house, including: Rich & Rare Reserve ($19.99 for 1.75L - No Age Statement), Seagram's VO ($22.99 for 1.75L - Aged Six Years),...

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🥃Review 53: Costco's Kirkland 15YR Highland Single Malt Scotch 2025

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