DSR – TN – 014: Jack Daniel’s Triple Mash
Company/Distillery: Jack Daniel Distillery
Location: Lynchburg, Tennessee
Mash Bill: 60% Jack Daniel’s Rye Whiskey (70% Rye, 18% Corn, 12% Barley), 20% Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey (80% Corn, 12% Barley, 8% Rye), and 20% Jack Daniel’s American Malt Whiskey (100% Barley)
Age Statement: At Least 4 Years Old
Proof/ABV: 100 Proof/50% ABV
Color & Viscosity: Viewing this Jack Daniel’s Triple Mash Tennessee Whiskey from the bottle, a rich mahogany hue radiates. In the glass, this whiskey presents a soft tawny color. Tilting the glass to the side, a ragged viscous line appears then forms tiny pin head droplets. The droplets develop into a thin viscous line and legs are very slow to drip down the sides of the tasting vessel.
Purchase Price: $35.00 from the NC ABC Store; 700 ml
Bottle Label Information:
Front Label
“Jack Daniel’s Triple Mash Blended Straight Whiskey”
“Bottled-In-Bond * 100 Proof”
“A Blend of Bonded American Malt, Rye, and Tennessee Whiskeys”
Left Side Label
“Triple Mash”
“A blend of three bonded whiskeys with pleasant notes of honey, malt, & soft oak leading to a long lasting well rounded finish”
“Bottled-In-Bond”
“Distilled by a single distiller, during a single season & matured in a government bonded warehouse for at least 4 years”
“100 Proof”
Right Side Label
“Distilled and Bottled by Jack Daniel Distillery, Lynchburg, Tenn. USA”
“EST. & REG. in 1866”
“DSP-TN-1”
Distillery Background
Jack Daniel Distillery
The year was around 1864; the town was Lynchburg, TN. A young man by the name of Jasper “Jack” Newton Daniel would break out on his own and subsequently meet a preacher by the name of Dan Call. Reverend Call ran a small distillery on his property and would eventually teach Mr. Daniel how to make whiskey. All of this would be accomplished with the help of enslaved craftsman, Nathan “Nearest” Green. Just a few years later in 1866, Mr. Daniel would establish the first U.S. registered distillery known as the Jack Daniel Distillery. Mr. Jack Daniel would eventually go on to lead the distillery with the assistance of his dear friend and head distiller, Nearest Green. In October 1911, in a moment of anger, Mr. Jack Daniel kicked his safe and sustained an injury that would eventually take his life due to gangrene.
In 156 years of production, the distillery has been lead by only 8 different Master Distillers:
- Jack Daniel (1866-1911) & Nearest Green (1870s-1881)
- Jess Motlow (1911-1941)
- Lem Tolley (1941-1964)
- Jess Gamble (1964-1966)
- Frank Bobo (1966-1988)
- Jimmy Bedford (1988-2007)
- Jeff Arnett (2008-2020)
- Chris Fletcher (2020-Present)
Jack Daniel moved his distillery to its current location, Cave Spring Hollow, in Lynchburg, TN after purchasing the property for $2,148. This property drew Jack in, due to its natural limestone spring. To this day, the spring is responsible for supplying the distillery with its water for whiskey production. The spring is always a cool 56 degrees and produces approximately 800 gallons of water every minute.
Jack Daniel Distillery prides itself on quality craftsmanship – much of which happens right in Lynchburg, TN. For a distillery the size of Jack Daniel, it is with great pride that they personally make every single drop of the world’s Jack Daniel’s Tennessee whiskey, right on site at their Lynchburg distillery. They also make their sugar maple charcoal, char their own barrels, as well as owning and operating many of the cooperages in the supply chain. As if all of this is not enough, the distillery still holds the title of the world’s biggest selling American whiskey around the world.
In addition to Jack Daniel’s Triple Mash Bottled-In-Bond used for this review, the distillery also offers its Old No. 7 recipe (also know as “Black Label”), Tennessee Apple, Tennessee Rye, Tennessee Honey, Tennessee Fire, Gentleman Jack, Sinatra Select, Single Barrel 100 Proof, Single Barrel Rye, Single Barrel Barrel Proof, No. 27 Gold, Jack Daniel’s 10 Years Old Tennessee Whiskey Limited Release, Jack Daniel’s Bottled-In-Bond Tennessee Whiskey and many specialty releases.
To read more about the unique history of Jack Daniel and his distillery, visit Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey.
Lincoln County Process
The Lincoln County Process, also known as charcoal mellowing or “The Extra Blessing,” is an important part of the process for making Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey. It is believed that this process was taught to Jack by Nearest Green, early in his life when he worked at the Call Distillery. Jack continued the technique as taught by Nearest Green, and it’s still an intricate part of the process at Jack Daniel’s today.
Seeing the charcoal mellowing firsthand is really an amazing process to behold. Jack Daniel Distillery takes sugar maple and slowly burns it down to the charcoal that is later used in the mellowing process. The homemade charcoal is placed into large wooden vats that are 10 feet deep. The white dog whiskey then painstakingly drips for 3-5 days through the 10 feet of charcoal where it is given its patented mellow characteristics. (Source)
Tasting Notes
Tasting Date/Vessel: September 11, 2022 – Neat in Glencairn Glass; Then with a splash of distilled water.
Nose
Christian: In the bottle, Jack Daniel’s Triple Mash Bottled-In-Bond offers copious amounts of Jack Daniel’s soaked smoking chips – if you know you know. The whiskey smells so sweet and aromatic. Nice hints of brown sugar glaze join the oak and traditional Jack aromas. A nice rich nosing experience wafts from the bottle. In my Glencairn glass, notes of brown sugar, vanilla bean, honey drizzled breakfast pastry, and a slight hint of Jack Daniel’s hallmark banana flavor fill my nose. I notice just a touch rye pepperiness here. A gentle swirl releases the barley’s influence on the nose with a delicate yeasty note accompanied with sweet wet walnuts. This nose has a life of its own that transitions nicely with each pass. The addition of distilled water allows the sweeter notes, such as maple syrup, brown sugar, and vanilla custard to really shine.
Mike: From the bottle, waves of maple charcoal and syrup permeate the nostrils then transition to brown sugar sweetened oatmeal. Nosing this whiskey from the glass, that traditional Jack Daniel’s banana flavor packs a sweet punch of flavor and is a much more intense aroma than any Jack Daniel’s offering I’ve enjoyed to date. Yeasty banana bread dough, or even a fresh banana bread starter, surge forward offering ripe fruity aromas. A second pass and gentle swirl mingle notes of mashed banana and peanut butter drizzled with honey. As this bottled-in-bond whiskey settles in the glass, the essence of freshly baked honey oat bread dominates then fades to tones of honey and banana.
Mouth
Christian: This whiskey offers a nice velvety mouthfeel that coats the tongue and roof of my mouth. On the tip of my tongue, I experience a rush of freshly baked warm banana bread slathered with butter. This is joined by a slight earthiness of fresh cut steel oats with a dollop of honey. A second pass allows a rush of raspberries and oak barrel char to seep onto the palate. In addition, notes of vanillas, brown sugar, and black tea are noticed. The distilled water lightens the mouthfeel and allows more traditional Jack Daniel’s flavors to lead. A little more leather and rye spice is present but the maple charcoal really pops.
Mike: This Jack Daniel’s Triple Mash offers a creamy mouthfeel upfront, becoming semi dry mid-palate. A myriad of banana cream flavor and vanilla wafers surface then steadily transition to room temperature honey butter smoothness and dark raw honey. A second pass reveals rich leather notes and dry black pepper spice on the backend.
Finish
Christian: Jack Daniel’s Triple Mash has a nice medium finish that warms evenly from the throat deep down into the chest. This warmth is not overpowering or abrasive but just right. Robust flavors of bananas foster with caramelized sugar and rich cream tantalize the palate late. As I step away from the pour I begin to experience the hints of maple charcoal on my palate and just a smidgen of stone fruit and honey. The finish holds up nicely to the addition of water. A little bitterness shows up in the form of oak barrel char. A lot more of the malt characteristics are left on the palate replacing some of the sweetener notes at 100 proof.
Mike: This whiskey offers a dry and mildly soft finish to start. A smolder of heat intensifies in the lower throat and into the chest. Savory dry roasted peanuts linger on the palate then a transform to sweet maple cream and a faint inclination of artificial banana flavor, similar to Now and Later candy.
Our Rating
Final Thoughts
Christian: As a self admitted, unashamed, super fan of Jack Daniel’s products, I approached this review with a bit of trepidation and concern. After all, I had seen a lot of positive feedback from individuals who typically don’t like JD products and some not so glowing reviews from folks like me. All of that being said, I didn’t really know what to expect. Jack Daniel’s Triple Mash Bottled-in-Bond delivered everything I could have hoped for and so much more! When we first sat down and began nosing this whiskey, I knew we were in for a treat. While traditional Jack Daniel’s notes were present, a new rich and robust twist began to take precedence. The nose begged you to go in deeper and enjoy. Everything the nose promised, the flavors on the palate were able to deliver–a sweet and decadent sipping experience well worth the price of admission. Was it different than the typical black label? Yes, but different does not always equal bad. Finally, this whiskey offered a finish that was perfect in heat and proof point. As a Jack Daniel’s fan, it is nice to see the distillery stepping out of the proverbial comfort zone and releasing some new and exciting offerings. In my opinion, the distillery has found a winner in this Triple Mash offering. It’s more approachable than the barrel proof products, which are my personal favorites, but more complex and lively than the standard fare. I highly recommend giving this one a go! Or don’t…it just means more for me.
Rating: 4.00 Rickhouses
Mike: I love, love, love this expression from JD! This Triple Mash BiB is my favorite offering to come out of Lynchburg, TN. One hundred proof seems to be the ideal bottling proof for my palate when it comes to Jack Daniel’s products and this offering packs all that JD banana goodness that I’ve come to enjoy.
Overall, this Triple Mash packs straightforward flavors, but is richer and more decadent than other offerings. This is a home run from Jack Daniel Distillery!
Rating: 4.50 Rickhouses
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