Whiskey
American Whiskey
Tennessee Whiskey
Jack Daniel's Gentleman Jack Tennessee Whiskey
Review
88
Light brownish-amber color. Light aromas of honey, sandalwood, and raisin toast. Smooth, velvety open quickly followed by warm heat. Faint herbal hints, lemon, and baking spice. About a 45 second finish. A solid, conservative Tennessee whiskey with no harsh edges and prominent fruity notes. Tasted 8/20/2008.
Notes
Jack knew what a single journey through the charcoal meant to his exceptional whiskey - how the coarsely ground maple charcoal mellowed out the harsh oils and impurities that threatened the smooth, warm character of the whiskey. Imagine what a second trip would do, he mused.
From the manufacturer's website.
Tennessee whiskey differs from bourbon because it is filtered during production. Gentleman Jack is charcoal filtered twice--once before barrel aging--and once after aging. This is opposed to the original No. 7 Jack Daniels (black label) which is distilled only before aging and not after. Because of this, Gentleman Jack is smoother than its cheaper cousin. I also think the second filtration takes some of the character out of the whiskey along with some of the curious compounds that are generated from years of sitting on oak. This doesn't make Gentleman Jack bad--just different.
As the name implies, this whiskey is gentler than the more raw and uproarious No. 7 (though No. 7 is still filtered once, so it has a smoother profile than most bourbon). I personally like some character in my whiskey, so I prefer the No. 7. But if you are looking for something smoother and mellower than No. 7, you might be a Gentleman Jack drinker.