Jim Beam vs. Jack Daniels

[mrt]

As far as I know, JD is a 4-years old whiskey. JBW is also 4 years old. However, in many comparisions, I notice that Jim Beam Black is taken as the counterpart of JD. This doesn't seem logical to me. I think the Beam to be compared with JD should be JBW. Am I wrong?

[OscarV]

As far as comparing JB & JD goes,...

First do you mean taste? If so you can look at it as two four year olds.

But of course I am sure you are aware that JD is not bourbon, but you can compare them if they are what you like to drink. And JB Black being 8 years old would not seem to be a logical comparison, but people compare different bourbons regardless of age or mashbills.

Secondly, I think the label of the JB Black causes people to compare it to JD because of the similar look of the two labels, which I am sure Beam had in mind since JD is the best selling whiskey that comes from the USA.

mrt,

tell me, how many different bourbons are available in Turkey?

Do you buy from retailers there or do you shop on-line?

[Hedmans Brorsa]

I thought that it all had to do with the styles and characters of the whiskies in question. It was a couple of years since I last had JBB but I remember it to markedly closer in style to JD than JBW.

Do we know for certain that JD is four years old? Is that official?

[TNbourbon]

...Do we know for certain that JD is four years old? Is that official?

Folks at the distillery routinely tell visitors that the Black #7 label and Gentleman Jack are dumps of barrels from 4-6 years old, while the Single Barrel bottlings are selected from barrels 6-8 years old (the latter also come exclusively from top floors of the 7-story warehouses).

[mrt]

Hi, first, thanks for the replies. As for the bourbon availibility in Turkey, we do not have access to many brands I see here, yet. The brands I can find easily are; Jim Beam (white and black), Bulleit, Early Times, Ten High (I haven't tried, yet), and if you inlclude Tennesee, Jack Daniels, Gentlemen Jack (rare, though). I buy bourbon from supermarkets and liquor stores. I can not order online, becouse online purchase of alcoholic drinks is forbidden by law since 2006. The aim of this ban is said to be to avoid purchases by those under 18, mainly.

[OscarV]

The brands I can find easily are; , Bulleit, Early Times, .

All things considered, being able to get Bulleit and Early Times in Turkey, then that is not bad.

I would suggest some Bulleit neat, followed by Early Times mixed with what ever you perfer, and then the JB vs. JD discussion becomes very old, tiresome and irrelevant. :cool:

[arsbadmojo]

Like you were at a party and these were the only selections available at the bar?

Tough call. Very tough. I suppose I'd have to go with JBW. It is, after all, bourbon. I agree that JBB gets compared to JD because of the label, and that is probably no accident. Same applies even more so to the Evan William's black label (and square bottle).

Does anyone know if JDB adds any carmel coloring? As they aren't subject to bourbon's regulations, I don't think there's anything preventing it.

[cowdery]

Jack Daniel's does not add caramel coloring.

[arsbadmojo]

Jack Daniel's does not add caramel coloring.

Thanks.

[DemeraraDrinker]

Hi, first, thanks for the replies. As for the bourbon availibility in Turkey, we do not have access to many brands I see here, yet. The brands I can find easily are; Jim Beam (white and black), Bulleit, Early Times, Ten High (I haven't tried, yet), and if you inlclude Tennesee, Jack Daniels, Gentlemen Jack (rare, though). I buy bourbon from supermarkets and liquor stores. I can not order online, becouse online purchase of alcoholic drinks is forbidden by law since 2006. The aim of this ban is said to be to avoid purchases by those under 18, mainly.

Wow, that seems like a fairly good selection for Turkey. I would have guessed you would have access to fewer brands.

The Ten High can be a little rough..it is cheap "handle" whiskey here in the states. Shake 2 oz of it, 1 oz of lemon juice, and 1/2 oz of simple syrup (or cane syrup). That will get you a passable Whiskey Sour.

It is getting harder to order it online here, too. Hi-Time used to be the best source for me, but they don't ship out of California anymore. There are some other shops that will ship, but Hi-Time was usually the cheapest.

[Sycamore Tree]

Jack is quite different to me than Jim. I actually prefer Jack because of its heavy char taste and flavorings, and I think JB White feels younger and has thin legs for a Bourbon. JB Black is definitely a step better and I'll buy it when cornered by lesser stuff, but too sweet to be a regular pour. I'm not a fan of Knob either which is their older aged stuff.

I do like Bookers immensly though-which stands to be their Super Premium.

[ILLfarmboy]

comparing Jack Daniel's and Jim Beam, while not an apples to apples comparison, is inevitable, at least in the minds of the masses (who don't understand that it's not really an apples to apples comparison). The two biggest kids on the block are gonna eventually fight, if only in the minds of the by-standers.

The question on my mind is who began to imitate whom. Or who's commercial bottle dress come first. And why do manufacturers (I'm thinking in a broader sense here) emulate their competition's packaging. I know they do It because it works, but why, from a sociological perspective, is it a successful strategy? After all, some pretty successfully add campaigns have played up a product's uniquenesses. 7-up used to call itself the un-cola, Wendie's had the "where's the beef" campaign. And while I'm on the subject, or drifting away from it, does the various poses of horse and rider on the Blanton's bottle stoppers as a marketing strategy remind anyone else of the 10, 12, 2 and 4 on the Dr. Pepper bottles from back in the 70's?

[cowdery]

Jim Beam is a post-prohibition brand. The main brand sold by the distillery operated by Jim Beam and his brother, Park, pre-prohibition was called Old Tub. Taking in the marketplace after prohibition, Jack Daniel's was still owned by the Motlow family and while nothing like what it would become, it was a pretty successful and well-known brand. I suspect the decision to use Jim's name was inspired by Daniel's and a host of other brands, although the decision to use the name straight up rather than with an "old" prefix (i.e., Old Taylor, Old Fitzgerald) may have been inspired primarily by Jack. Also, it seems very likely that the square bottle was inspired by Jack.

I would not, however, consider Jim Beam a Jack Daniel's "clone." Those came later, after Jack really started to explode. There were many but the ones still with us are Evan William's and Ezra Brooks.

[jburlowski]

I would not, however, consider Jim Beam a Jack Daniel's "clone."

And of course Beam (or something like it) has been made the same way for 211 years....

[HighTower]

And of course Beam (or something like it) has been made the same way for 211 years....

so they keep telling us.......

Scott

[cowdery]

I tell myself that what they mean is that the Beam company is heir to a 200+ year family whiskey-making tradition, which is true. Break it down and you start to have problems, e.g., the Jim Beam brand didn't exist prior to Repeal.

Of course, they're now also the parent company of Maker's Mark and Bill Samuels claims an even older family whiskey-making heritage. He claims that an ancestor made whiskey for Washington's army.

[jburlowski]

Of course, they're now also the parent company of Maker's Mark and Bill Samuels claims an even older family whiskey-making heritage. He claims that an ancestor made whiskey for Washington's army.

And which family made whiskey for the Geico caveman?

[kbuzbee]

And while I'm on the subject, or drifting away from it, does the various poses of horse and rider on the Blanton's bottle stoppers as a marketing strategy remind anyone else of the 10, 12, 2 and 4 on the Dr. Pepper bottles from back in the 70's?

Don't know about D.P. but the different stoppers also each have a letter. If you care to you can collect them all (which spells BLANTONS). Kinda cool.... Maybe mount them in a board or something.... I started doing that.... never finished the project.....

An aside, I wonder if, like many of these things, one letter is significantly more rare than another....?? Hmmm....

Ken