Jack Daniel's 12 Year Tennessee Whiskey (Batch 1)

I have a sample only, so I don't know what it actually cost, but the Total Wine site tells me that here in Albuquerque a fifth would run $85.99. The mash bill is 80% corn, 12% rye, and 8% barley. It's 107 proof, if there's an age statement I don't know because I don't have the bottle, and it's a dark gold in the glass. NOSE: On the nose I get vanilla, caramel, corn sweetness, butterscotch pudding, ambrosia, maple syrup, waffles, whipped cream, and mandarin oranges. Overall the nose is soft, sweet, and warm, and it includes notes I've never gotten before anywhere. MOUTHFEEL: Oily. TASTE: Brown sugar, Red Hots, oak, char, buttered waffles, and sugar syrup - again, some notes I've never gotten before. FINISH: Long, beginning with honey and then going to sweet oak. SUMMARY: This is DELICIOUS whisky. It's sweet and sunny, with just enough dark notes. I wish I could afford to buy it myself, because there's more to it than I can sort out from just a sample. I would love to spend a while working through a bottle, and sorting out all the notes in the nose and taste that I could tease out tonight. RATING: I give it the highest of eight possible ratings on my hick scale - Mighty Fine. That of course is the same as five stars, 100/100, or 10/10.

Aroma - Oak, toffee, dark fruits all play well together here. I’m also picking up a huge red wine note. The nose is interesting but was expecting a bit more to be honest. Taste - Butterscotch and dark fruits up front. Then mid palate the oak really takes hold and you follow the oak through the finish and then some. There is some slight vanilla bean note from time to time (more of a bitter vanilla than sweet) . The oak is somewhat drying on the finish. Overall - It’s very good and I’m bouncing back and forth from 4.5-4.75. Only knock on this is the finish.. I do find the oak to have a drying effect which takes away from the butterscotch note that is found at the front of the palate. Dont pay more than $120. 4.6

Nose- brown sugar, maple syrup, caramel corn. The nose is 5/5. Palate: follows through to the nose and adds more caramel. I am also catching a wonderful french toast with maple syrup note, along with a burn that reveals its proof. This is great whiskey Finish- Some smoke, maple syrup and a bit of heat. It is long and comforting. The only fla w is a bit of dryness from the oak.....but if you savor wood this is no flaw at all! Overall- This is GREAT whiskey! Not just good but GREAT whiskey! I troed side by side with the 10 yr, and I give the slightest edge to the 10yr.

Sweet oak bomb with notes of molasses, bananas foster, tobacco, brown sugar, raspberries, plums, honey, and burnt caramel. Think I liked 10 Year Batch 2 more. Nose: Caramel, Honey, Maple Syrup, Molasses, Bananas, Plums, Dark Chocolate, Marshmallows, Brown Sugar, Raspberries, Raisins Palate: Tobacco, Dark Chocolate, Leather, Raisins, Bananas Foster, Strawberries, Luxardo Cherries, Molasses, Walnuts, Treacle, Pecan Pie, Burnt Caramel Finish: Charred Oak, Tobacco, Plums, Bananas Foster, Raspberries, Luxardo Cherries, Vanilla, Makuna Honey, Spearmint, Cloves, Cinnamon

Came back to it. Aroma - awesowm JD profile… bananas, caramel, slightly charred marshmallow. Berries as well… bread and buttery notes. It is great Taste- well… caramel.. banana are present. And then there is nothing else. Overall - single barrel, barrel proof.. is by far better than this. If your palate cant handle the high proof offefinga, then this will be great If your palate prefere high proof, bold and intense profiles… then you will be disappointed

Glass: Glencairn, rested 15 minutes. Color: Deep amber. Nose: Oak and maple syrup up front, with some subdued peanuts. Palate: Oak, maple, and peanuts continue. Not as spicy as expected. Finish: Long but not very hot. Splash: No new flavors are revealed. Overall: 5/10 - I had high expectations for this, based on the single barrel barrel proof being so complex. This drinks more like regular JD than the premium stuff. Honestly, it's about average.