Castle & Cairn

While Jack Daniel's is a household name with its flagship jousting with with Jim Beam for the top spot in global sales, there are many who have never heard of their other releases. Jack Daniel's Single barrel lineup consists of a Tennessee Whiskey (bourbon) at barrel and 90 proof, a Rye also at Barrel proof, and Heritage and Single Barrel 100 at 50% ABV. Single Barrel Barrel Proof  was the first of the lineup, released in 2015, and aims to deliver a traditional Jack Daniel's flavor profile. While single barrels are often both praised and criticized for their variability, the Jack team seems to be able to keep selected barrels remarkably consistent through methodical tasting-based selection. 🛒 Sourced:  $68.99 - Total Wine, GA 750ml - normally closer to $60, a gift from my Mother-in-Law. Price-wise they sit between Jack Daniel's bonded lineup and their age stated premium series releases. I'm seeing some store picks around $65.  🧪 Proof:  127.7 proof, 63.85% ABV - S...

A Brown-Foreman brand since 1956, Jack Daniel's flows from its historic distillery in Lynchburg, Tennessee to glasses all over the world. Ironically, Moore County, home to Lynchburg, remains dry to this day other than an exception for sampling at the distillery. Jasper Newton "Jack" Daniel's learned the distillers trade from local preacher and moonshiner, Dan Call. The "Old No. 7" brand was simply the number assigned to Daniel's distillery for government registration (Number 7 of District 4). Though later redistricting changed this ID number, Daniel's kept the name all the same. The brand garnered wider recognition after winning the Gold medal for finest whiskey at the 1904 St. Louis World's fair. Today, Old No. 7 joins a bustling lineup of flavored, Single Barrel, Bonded, and Barrel Proof editions. Though some will protest greatly, Jack Daniel's meets all of the legal requirements to be considered a BOURBON in addition to being classified a...

🛒 Sourced:   Local Vine store pick, think I paid about 48.99.  🧪 Proof: People rave about the barrel proof version, so I was interested to see how this one holds up at an easy drinking 47% abv. 🥔 Mash Bill: 70% Rye, 18% Corn 12% Barley  👃 Nose: hints of the peppery rye goodness we all love, clean & non-astringent 😜 Palate: Very smooth, almost eerily so. Slight notes of rye at the beginning and end with more of the typical oak flavors. Maybe a bit of plantain but the flavors are very slight. Light to thin mouthfeel. 🏆 Overall:   4 /10 (Many things I'd rather have) It took me around 6 months to polish off this bottle and in that time I never found myself looking forward to it.  There's nothing "wrong" with this whiskey, but I feel that it's just too mild and there are far better ryes for the cost. On the other hand, I really enjoy Jack Daniel's Single Barrel BP releases, so I look forward to trying the barrel proof version of this rye at some point....