Jack Daniel's Single Barrel

[Chris]

In a post from a while ago, I asked about Dickel 10 yr. and John said he preferred Jack Singl barrel. With my birthday last week, I got both as presents from co-workers. Since my tasting skills are not at the level of Linn's, I wish to start my own descriptive yet simple and easy to follow tasting notes. George Dickel Special Barrel Reserve 10yr.: good stuff. Jack Daniel's single Barrel:Better Stuff. This concludes my tasting. :') Seriously, Linn I love the notes but I am just quite not there yet. Iliked the Jack Daniels better, and I agree with what a lot of you guys said about the other Dickel bottlings, they are better than their Jack Dainel's counterparts. Here's to all of you.

[Guest **DONOTDELETE**]

Chris the point you make is painfully clear. This is why Mike Veach wants to start up the Oscar Getz American Whiskey Academy. To teach bourbon lovers some elementry tasting skills. The catch is you have to come to Bardstown for the next Bourbon Festival. I strongly urge you to plan now to taste later. Plus all the fun you and your wife will have along with the rest of the gang is priceless yet costs nothing. The truth is my "skills" are fairly crude and in dire need of refinement. I have both Chuck Cowdery and Mike Veach to thank for their tips and guidance. All I do is drink the bourbon and write about it.

Linn Spencer

Have Shotglass. Will Travel.

[kitzg]

check for pants -- if still on, it's not an exceptional bourbon

[kitzg]

or in this case -- it's not an exceptional whiskey

Just going by Linn's earlier tastings.

(Of course, pants on or not, I've enjoyed the Jack Single Barrel but there are several bourbons I've enjoyed much better.)

[Guest **DONOTDELETE**]

"All you do is drink bourbon and write about it". When you get down to the bare essentials that is all anybody really does in tasting notes. Don't sell yourself short because I would just as soon read what an "greenhorn" has to say about a product as any of the "professional drink writers". I don't consider myself an expert at all but I have had plenty of experience drinking and a little writing about bourbon. It just takes practice and I do enjoy the practice.

Mike Veach

[Guest **DONOTDELETE**]

And although I do often cast a wary and skeptical eye upon the whole concept of formalized tasting notes, I would pay money (even if only Yankee dollars) to read Linn's poetic and dancing writings.

Personally, I think Chris' description was concise and to the point. The question isn't "how many flavors from the Standard Tasters' List of Approved Flavors can be recognized in this or that whiskey?", it's "which of these two whiskeys that are both aiming for the same niche gets closest?". What Chris reported exactly duplicated my own experience, i.e., that Dickel 10 year old special reserve is a fine whiskey and JD single barrel is even finer. Despite the fact that all the rest of the Dickel products far outshine their Daniels' counterparts. Now Chris doesn't spell out WHY he feels that way, but I think the answer is implied -- it's strictly Chris' personal opinion. There really isn't a need to measure the two against a set of standardized criteria so that the conclusion can be empirically verified. If I read enough of Chris' opinions to get an idea of what he likes and dislikes, I can determine the internal measures he's using. More importantly, if I fail to do that, the mere use of standardized notation won't give me an accurate idea at all. To me, that's why the skill of reading sheet music will never replace the art of learning to play the music on your instrument of choice by ear.

=John=

http://w3.one.net/~jeffelle/whiskey