Taken: Neat in a Glencairn glass, rested for about 15 minutes.
Distillery: Jack Daniel Distillery.
Proof: 107. Batch 2.
Mash Bill: 80% Corn/12% Rye/8% Malted Barley.
Price: $95.
Appearance: Dark copper.
Nose
The nose leads with toasted pecans, maple & caramelized brown sugar, toffee, root beer, dark molasses, subtle wood smoke, and vanilla ice cream. Layered with banana rind, baked apples, green tea, nutmeg, sage, and allspice. With more sips, the nose becomes sweeter, bringing out more toffee, with stone fruit and green tea.
Palate
An oily mouthfeel coats the palate with dark molasses, toasted oak, caramelized brown sugar, root beer, tobacco, banana rind, baked apples, green tea, nutmeg, and a moderate amount of allspice. There’s more oak on the palate than I expected from the nose, but it’s layered with quite a bit of herbal notes, with a moderate amount of fruit, and spice.
Finish
Allspice lingers with maple syrup, bananas, baked apples, and nutmeg with wood smoke and tobacco. After the heavier oak tannins dissipate, there’s root beer, vanilla, black tea, and leather. This has a very long, complex, oaky, excellent finish that closes the sip out with worn leather, tobacco, a hint of root beer, and baked apples.
Conclusion
Jack Daniel’s 12-Year Batch 2 focuses on its rich, dark oak flavors with an underlying layer of tea-like herbal notes, and a moderate amount of baked apples and subtle banana, with a pop of wood-smokiness. I love this oak-forward profile and how well-balanced and enjoyable it is to sip. I believe 107 proof works well for this release, making it a very enjoyable sipper, while still packing enough flavor that it never left me wishing the proof were higher. The 12-Year Batch 2 is one of my favorite Jack Daniel’s releases I’ve tried so far, along with the 14-year (review coming soon) and the 2024 Coy Hill Barrelhouse 8. If this sounds like a whiskey you’d enjoy, I’d highly recommend it if you can find it at a reasonable price.
Rating: 8.5/10.
1 | Disgusting | So bad I poured it out.
2 | Poor | I wouldn’t consume by choice.
3 | Bad | Multiple flaws.
4 | Sub-par | Not bad, but better exists.
5 | Good | Good, just fine.
6 | Very Good | A cut above.
7 | Great | Well above average.
8 | Excellent | Really quite exceptional.
9 | Incredible | An all-time favorite.
10 | Perfect | Perfect.
