Whiskey- Jack Daniel’s “Gentleman Jack” sampling date not recorded

Complexity-easy

Type- Tennessee Whiskey, aged about 4 years, 40% ABV, undergoes and extra filtration step in the process making it different from other expressions in the line of products.

Appearance-a very modest sunlight to pale straw, medium fast-moving tears almost devoid of oils with no impurities detected.

Aroma- a dulled brown sugar makes its way around hints of oak and weak toffee.  The vanilla wants to play but has been subdued leaving the end with traces of rubbing alcohol.

Taste- unobtrusive, mellow, and utterly relaxed.  If unexciting was the goal, it has been reached.  The vanilla and brown sugar finally stand on their own and are accompanied by the oak and some traces of nut with a slight hint of licorice finishing the experience.  The mouth feel is unexciting with very weak, watered down oils only slightly tempting the tongue.

With Water- this one was so weak on its own I felt that adding water would have thinned it out more than I would have liked so I skipped this step the first time.  During the second tasting I did add water and it spread the flavors and aromas out so much it was lost.

Finish- very short and mild with no real excitement.  None of the sweet flavors made their way to the end leaving me with only some wood and a wisp of smoke.  It was a dry finish with a bit of warmth as it went down.

Verdict-Never Again
To much is lost with the extra purification process leaving me unimpressed.  My expectations may have been a bit too high on this one as just before sampling it I had an amazing single barrel of Jack Daniel’s and the difference was night and day.  The Old No. 7 also has so much more character than this expression.  If you are looking for a whiskey to make mixed drinks with and do not want to taste the whiskey, then by all means grab a bottle of this.  If you simply want the experience, then go ahead and grab a bottle.  Otherwise there are so many other whiskeys out there worth spending your money on that I would not recommend this as a good purchase.  Even within the Jack Daniel’s line you will find a much better whiskey.