Roll Out the Barrel

Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel Barrel Proof Tennessee Whiskey; Jack Daniel Distillery; Lynchburg, Tennessee; $65

Mr. Jack Daniel makes his everyday, reasonably inexpensive hooch for the masses. Of all the names in the industry, few invoke greater fandom than good, ol’ No 7. In fact, a quick Google demonstrated that Jack Daniel’s whiskey is the number one-selling whiskey in the United States, and the 6th best in the world. (For those of you who are curious, McDowells — out of India, no less — is number one. I would probably be accused of being naughty if I made a phone support joke right now, so I won’t.

Knowing this piece of information, is it any wonder that you hear the following phrase no matter which dive-bar you drop into?

“Gimme jagandgode …”

And the bartender knows exactly what to do! He calls Mrs. Pedandercough and asks her to come and collect Hank from off the bar.

I talked very briefly about my feelings on Jack Daniel’s Old No. 7 in my Roaring 20’s post last week. This week, we’re talking about Old No. 7’s big brother, Single Barrel Barrel Proof which, at 131.7 proof, makes for a dandy rust remover, and an even more dandy sobriety remover. The stuff is just absolutely potent, and brilliantly good (mine is from barrel 19-01208, which tells me only that the distillery has more than 1 barrel laying around). JD SBBP (I’m abbreviating to save the one’s and zeroes from extinction) has a touch of cinnamon, some light honey, charred caramel, and fuzzy vision all mixed up into one helluva nice sippin’ whiskey.

So what’s the story? Well, it’s quite short and straight to the point. I have a friend who loves the stuff, and he made me try it. That’s right, he tied me up, put a gun to my head, and forced it down my throat, which is the usual tactic necessary to get me to drinking. He’s the same friend that I met half-way to collect some Eagle Rare, and from whom I was first introduced to Westward Stout Cask. Like me he’s got an uneducated palate, but he knows what he likes, and he’s a Jack Daniel’s fan through and through.

Which means something.

To someone.

I wouldn’t call myself a Jack Daniel’s “fan” per se, but I can drink the stuff easy enough. But, this Single Barrel concoction is straight-shootin’ and darn-fallootin’! It’s got that muscle-car kick that I like in a brilliant whiskey, and it pulls it off without being all high-and-mighty, or burning the hair out of my nostrils. It’s “smooth” in the sense that it has a nice mouth feel, and razor-sharp when it falls across the back-side of the ol’ licker. Hey, is that why they call it “liquor”?

Anyway, I can easily recommend this dandy nectar to anyone that likes a stiff, hard drink, whether as a straight shot or a bad-day-ending sipper by a hot fire. But, please, don’t mix this one with coke. Leave that for the little brother.

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Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel Barrel Proof Tennessee Whiskey
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