Jack Daniel's Single Barrel

[Jono]

Quick question...what TN whiskey should I buy for my first...JD SB, Silver Select, Gentleman Jack or a Dickel...and why?

[ThomasH]

I would buy the Silver Select. It is duty free only which means you can't get it just anywhere. The others you can get everyday. The Silver Select is 100 proof, which I prefer, and is only a few dollars more than regular single barrel!

Thomas

[BourbonJoe]

I would buy a Dickel Barrel Select. The last one of these I had was one of the best whiskies I ever drank. It was like a vanilla milkshake. I realize they are single barrels but this one was super.
Joe

[DoubleT]

I have never been much of a JD drinker, until this brew. A friend of mine's father passed recently, and I was very close to the man. A couple of days after the funeral I went by my buddy's house with a couple of Rum Runner cigars. As we talked about "dad" and fired up the smokes I made the comment that a nice bourbon would be well with them. He vanished and returned saying he had no bourbon but did have a bottle of JDSB. So into the glass, neat, the whiskey went, and the afternoon passed nicely. I will be buying a bottle to keep on hand, and while it won't be a daily drinker I will have to indulge from time to time.l Especially when my buddy Ron drops by.

[Dramiel McHinson]

Quick question...what TN whiskey should I buy for my first...JD SB, Silver Select, Gentleman Jack or a Dickel...and why?

For your first Tennessee whiskey try Prichard's Double Barreled Bourbon Whiskey. Made in Kelso Tennessee, it is a privately owned distillery, definitely small batch and pretty much hand made compared to whiskey from their giant neighbor, Jack Daniels. Prichard's mainstay is rum and the whiskey may not stay on the menu so try it before it's gone. You can get the others anytime you choose. Prichard's whiskey may not have been well received by some traditionalists and some have written that they weren't sold on the flavor or the artificial cork stopper. It tasted a lot better to me after I visited the distillery and spent some time talking to Mr Prichard and his son about their wares. Very likable people and they put their heart into the making of fine spirits.

Try it!

[Dramiel McHinson]

If you keep it around too long you will get the banana in the SB as well.

I would bet a wooden nickel that it will be there in 6-9 months

I have a bottle on the shelf of JD single barrel, Rick R-07, barrel 6-0052 bottled 1-6-06. After reading about the "bananas" I went over to the shelf, popped the cork out and gave er a sniff. Holy Cow! lots of banana! I haven't been in this bottle for a while and don't remember the bananas before. Would love to hear some theories about where the bananas came from.

Thanx for the heads up!

[Gillman]

There has been some discussion about this and (as I recall) the theory was expressed, withour further comment, that letting Jack Daniels sit for a while accentuates the estery "bananas" content.

I have a number of Jack Daniels bottles on hand. Some are from February of this year, single barrel bottlings I consider the best ever done of this brand.

I have Gentleman Jack bought some months ago.

I have some regular Jack Daniels, bought some years ago.

All these taste to me as they did when I bought them. Where banana was prominent, e.g., in the GJ, it still is; where it wasn't, e.g., in R-19 from February 1, 2008, it remains as such today. I tasted with Mike Veach last year a Jack Daniels from 30 years ago and it seemed notably un-banana-like to me...

I do not rule out that Jack Daniels whiskey might be subject to esterification with bottle age, shall we call it, but in my experience this has not occurred. I think what may explain it for some who detect this effect is that in a partly filled bottle, the volatiles will fill the bottle space and the banana esters amongst them will tend to show prominently, so pungent is this character in Jack Daniels (often, but not always). But I do not believe that time creates more such character.

Gary

[polyamnesia]

i have to chime in (and hopefully squeeze a little more blood from this orangey, i mean, banana-y discussion)...i don't drink the regular JD, but i did buythe GJack last year....and another earlier this year...and before i had ever read reviews, i noticed the banana character...and found it very interesting and pleasing.

on a nutball WHIM, i just purchased one of those Gold Medal releases (the 1981 from...2006?). not quite a dusty, but i've seen them nowhere else before.

anyways, at 90 proof, an interesting, better JD....i still prefer the GJ, but i probably need to try the SBarrel.

i really hope to find the banana notes in any future JD i have (few, for sure!). i used to say i prefered Dickel to JD by FAR, but the 'vitamin' nature of dickel has been picked up....give me a banana over that, anyday!

[Jono]

Good list of esters and flavors:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ester

Ethyl butyrate banana, pineapple, strawberry <<<<
Ethyl hexanoate pineapple,waxy-green banana <<<<
Isoamyl acetate pear, banana (flavoring in Pear drops) <<<
Amyl acetate (pentyl acetate) apple, banana

http://dialnet.unirioja.es/servlet/a...?codigo=258331
French oak used in wine contributes:
furfural
5-methyl furfural
furfuryl alcohol
coniferaldehyde
acetovanillone
and phenol

http://cat.inist.fr/?aModele=afficheN&cpsidt=17485639
Ethyl octanoate
ethyl decanoate
Isoamyl acetate <<<<
ethyl hexanoate <<<<
ethyl butyrate <<<<

http://www.patentstorm.us/patents/58...scription.html
Maple
2-hydroxy-3-methylcyclopent-2-ene-1-one

http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/j...TRY=1&SRETRY=0
acetovanillone
guaiacyl acetone
vanilloyl methyl ketone

So, if oak wine barrels contribute to the banana flavor esters (assuming they do not come from the grape) these could be the source of bananish notes..
Isoamyl acetate
ethyl hexanoate
ethyl butyrate

..but why JD and not other bourbons? Or is it just muted in other whiskeys for some reason?

http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/jf800383v

45 odor compounds in bourbon...the highest

ethanol, ethyl (S)-2-methylbutanoate, 3-methylbutanal, 4-hydroxy-3-methoxybenzaldehyde, (E)-β-damascenone, ethyl hexanoate, ethyl butanoate, ethyl octanoate, 2-methylpropanal, (3S,4S)-cis-whiskylactone, (E,E)-2,4-decadienal, 4-allyl-2-methoxyphenol, ethyl-3-methylbutanoate, and ethyl 2-methylpropanoate

>> Again, Ethyl Hexanoate, ethly butanoate (similar to butyrate?), are likely sources of banana taste.

Note to Chuck...it took 26 flavor elements to mimick the aroma of bourbon...!

[Jono]

Interesting....the same taste profile shows up here:

http://www.homebrewtalk.com/f39/bana...uestion-57076/

banana esters in a weizenstephen

High temps = ester production (banana)
Lower temps = phenol production (cloves)

So, heat -initial fermentation 68-72 deg+ may play a part and the yeast used in JD production.....and barrel contributions.