Whiskey Review #001
Jack Daniel's Single Barrel Select Liquor at the Lake – “Lake Brûlée”
Final Rating
7.8/10
Background: This Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel Selection is the first Jack Daniel’s barrel selected by my local shop. Leveraging the palates of a few of Charlotte’s whiskey social media advocates, the folks at Liquor at the Lake have stepped up their single barrel game. This is a re-introduction of Jack Daniel’s for me, and at $60.00 provides a low barrier of entry.
Nose: The nose hits with vanilla, brown sugar, and subtle baking spices. The banana announces itself on the second nose and more after the first sip. There is a subdued citrus note of orange peel and just a touch of oak.
Taste: An absolute banana bomb. I mean an explosion of ripe bananas immediately hits the palate. The raw banana flavor quickly shifts to freshly baked banana bread as cinnamon and allspice fight to be noticed. Each sip hits with bananas foster upfront, slowly giving way to other nuanced flavors like cloves and walnuts. Black pepper and the slightest bit of oak are also present, but are dramatically outgunned by banana.
Finish: Medium long finish with a black pepper spice and lingering tingliness. It has a dry, mildly bitter flavor that initially grips your tongue, like sucking on a pithy orange peel. Bitterness fades to sweetness and a lasting pepper and clove note. The banana doesn’t linger.
Overall Thoughts: This bottle has introduced me to the world of Jack Daniel’s and it will not be my last bottle. The team at Liquor at the Lake picked a winner here, changing my opinion of heavy banana flavors in a whiskey. The cost to value ratio on this whiskey is fantastic, however, I scored the whiskey as an eight as this bottle feels a bit like a one-trick pony. That being said, I have already purchased another bottle, which is the true test of a whiskey’s value.
Tasting wheel adapted from Bourbon and Banter's Flavor Wheel
