American

Whiskey Review: Jack Daniel’s Distillery Series #12 Oloroso Sherry Cask Finish

OVERALL RATING

8
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Tasting Notes

About:

Mash bill of 80% corn, 12% malted barley, and 8% rye; aged in new American oak and finished in Oloroso Sherry casks for three years; bottled at 90 proof; priced at $41.99 for a 375 ml bottle.
Appearance:
The additional three years in Sherry casks are immediately evident as this sports excellent orange-amber coloring with rich maroon highlights. The legs and viscosity of this are immediately apparent in the glass.
Nose:
The influence of the fortified Spanish wine barrels is quickly apparent on the first sniff, delivering rich, nutty notes backdropped with honey, vanilla, baking spices, toffee, and brown sugar.
Palate:
It is interesting what goes on here – the vanilla and oak of the American barrel aging fall quickly in step with the drier, nuttier influences of the sherry casks, suggesting well-balanced cask and finishing cask management. This is alongside caramel, dark chocolate, cherry, marzipan, a touch of black pepper, and toffee.
Finish:
It goes down rich and inviting, teasing the back of the throat with some dry pepper before settling into a long fade into nothing.
Comments:
Jack Daniel’s Distillery Series #12 Oloroso Sherry Cask Finish is a solid winner in the sherry cask-finished whiskey category. It checks all the right marks but doesn’t quite stand up to similar whiskeys I’ve had. Still, it is an excellent play for such a venerable distillery.

Editor’s Note: This whiskey was either bought as a sample by The Whiskey Wash or provided to us as a review sample by the party behind it. Per our editorial policies, this in no way influenced the outcome of this review.

Nino Kilgore-Marchetti

Nino Kilgore-Marchetti is the founder of The Whiskey Wash, an award-winning whiskey lifestyle website dedicated to informing and entertaining consumers about whisk(e)y globally. As a whisk(e)y journalist, expert, and judge, he has written extensively about the subject, been interviewed in various media outlets, and provided tasting input on many whiskeys at competitions.

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