Jack Daniel’s 12 Year Old Tennessee Whiskey Review

By Richard Thomas

Rating: A-

For most of the 21st Century, the “sipping whiskey” coming out of Lynchburg, Tennessee was not associated with age statements. That truth actually makes a great deal of sense, when you consider that the Lincoln County Process that Jack Daniel’s is known for is the original shortcut on maturation; for all the gimmicks the Bourbon Boom has produced on cutting down on aging time, none has done as well at producing a mellow whiskey sooner as charcoal filtration before barreling.

That has changed in a big way with the arrival of Chris Fletcher, first as deputy and then as Master Distiller down in Lynchburg. When you realize that Fletcher moved over from the lab at Buffalo Trace to Assistant Master Distiller at Jack Daniel’s almost 10 years ago, it could very well be the case that the groundwork for these new age statement releases was laid by him personally. After all, we’re talking about decade-old whiskey, not quarter-century old whiskey.

Fletcher turned out that first age statement expression last year, Jack Daniel’s 10 Year Old. Now he is building on that with more 10 year old whiskey, plus this new 12 year old version.

The Whiskey
This is the standard Jack, matured well beyond that standard and bottled at 107 proof. The coloring of a pour is a deep red, dark amber.

The scent is a lot like a chunk of banana topped with dried cherries and caked in caramel. In the main, it’s very sweet, but there is also a note of butterscotch, plus a musty current running through the nose, with the latter in particular giving it some character.

The flavor profile continued with that fruity sweetness, with notes of maple and vanilla. It turns a touch spicy and woody after a spell, a turn that again endows the whiskey with more character than mere sweetness can provide. The finish rolls off that latter point in part, being leathery and tannic on the one hand, but also a little like rum raisin on the other.

I sat with this one for a while, dithering over whether it was an A- or a full A grade whiskey. Ultimately, I settled that debate with my standing rule that if I really need to mull that question over, it’s an A-. Still, if you are reading this then you should know the question was there. It’s really a superbly yummy bottle, and helps develop the growing body of middle aged Tennessee Whiskeys out there.

The Price
The 12 Year Old comes in a 700 ml bottle (Jack Daniel’s releases are increasingly done in the world standard 700ml bottle across the board, so keep in mind it has one less shot pour in it), and is priced at $80. However, it’s not uncommon to see retailers marking it up as far as $400, and at least one was reported to me asking north of $700. Buyer beware.