Product of: United States

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Jack Daniel's is a Tennessee whiskey and was named No.7 by "Mr Jack" himself in 1887 – no one knows why.

Some say Jack was honouring his seven girlfriends, others that it was the 7th recipe but one of the most plausible explanations to the Old No.7 brand is the story of the missing seven barrels. In 1904, the company shipped seven barrels of Jack Daniel's whisky to St Louis, Missouri for the World Fair. They were sent via Tullahoma on the railroad but reports were telegraphed back saying the railroad company had lost the seven barrels. So another seven were shipped, but in the meantime the railroad found the first seven, so they marked them 'Old Number Seven', so the barrels would not be confused when the new seven barrels arrived.

The strength of Old No.7 used to vary, with bottlings at 40, 43 and 45 alc./vol. according to different markets; with the U.S. mostly at 43% and Europe at 40%. With the onset of globalisation there was a need to consolidate, hence since 2010 the strength has been standardised across all markets at 40% alc./vol.

Review and Tasting

Sampled on 29/05/2016

Appearance:

Clear, mid golden amber.

Aroma:

Toasty oak, spicy vanilla, popcorn and caramel with tar, mocha coffee, rolling tobacco, ripe banana and gingerbread.

Taste:

Buttery char-grilled corn-on-the-cob, burnt popcorn, vanilla, salt and caffe latte with overripe banana, gingerbread and cracked black pepper spice. Faint sweetness.

Aftertaste:

Slight saltiness to lingering dry new oak, barbecue charcoal an spicy finish.

Overall:

Due to its mass-market appeal and comparatively low alc./vol. (even to its former self) Jack is knocked by many whiskey aficionados, but Old No.7 is a dependable whiskey with a like-able slightly rough around the edges character, a character that stands up to being drowned by the likes of cola. However, try long over ice with soda and enjoy this whiskey's lightly salted popcorn-like flavours with toasty grain, charcoal and a faint sweetness.