I’d like to thank the folks at Jack Daniel’s PR for providing this sample to me with no strings attached.
I grew up in the Northwoods of Wisconsin in the 1980s. Looking back on it from a distance of 35 years or more, I am struck by a few of the things that stick out in my memories. I remember a lot of signs above the doors of stores, restaurants, and bars that had the name or logo of a beverage company covering most of the sign and the name of the establishment running across the top or bottom in much smaller letters. The stores were mostly 7-UP or Pepsi and the bars were usually Old Style or Pabst.
I remember a single phone booth in the town I grew up in. And I remember a single pop machine. The phone booth was on a corner across the street from the cafe and the pop machine was outside the grocery store. Both of those are gone now. The phone booth was lost to cellphones and the soda machine was killed by convenience stores that stay open 24 hours.
I remember going to the local bar with my mom to watch the Packer games on a Sunday afternoon. I would get a soda for during the game and another for playing video games on the arcade cabinets in the corner for after. I usually got one that was new or unable to be found in the town’s lone pop machine. things like New Coke, and Mandarin Orange or Apple Slice.
I remember a bottle of Jack Daniel’s that lived on top of our refrigerator. It was my Step-Dad’s favorite drink. That square-shouldered, black-labeled bottle was always just sort of there at the edge of my consciousness. And I always had a bit of a soft spot for it even though I never tried it until I was in college.
And because Jack Daniel’s was (and is) my Step-Dad’s favorite drink, I always keep an eye out for new products in their line. Initially, it was because I was buying it as a present. But as I became more of a whiskey fan, I started trying them too. Some of them I have really liked. Others less so. So when the PR folks for Jack Daniel’s offered me a sample of this year’s Heritage Barrel, I eagerly accepted.
This is the same whiskey as last year’s version just with an extra year of age on it. And just like last year, this whiskey was:
aged at the highest altitude of the Jack Daniel Distillery’s warmest barrelhouse, this year’s iteration of Heritage Barrel will have a greater depth of color and character for fans of the original run to enjoy. The rich vanilla, oak spice and sweet caramel flavors are derived from a unique barrel toasting you won’t find in any other Single Barrel expression. Each heritage barrel is slowly heated to achieve a deeper, richer toasted layer before being charred, evoking the barrels of the distillery’s earliest coopers.
Jack Daniel's Single Barrel Heritage Barrel 2019
Purchase Info: This was graciously provided by Jack Daniel’s PR for review purposes. Suggested retail price is $64.99.
Price Per Drink (50mL): $4.33
Details: 50% ABV
Nose: Cinnamon, toffee, buckwheat honey, oak, green apple
Mouth: Sweet, tingly and warm on the mouth with brown sugar, caramel, and baking spice
Finish: Medium length and warmth. Lingering green apple, cinnamon, brown sugar.
Thoughts: I really like this one. Very sweet and rich. I love the green apple notes that play alongside the sweet caramel and brown sugar notes. Add in the accessible price point and this will make a lovely gift for yourself or a loved one.
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