Tasted #61: Jack Daniels Holiday Select (2013)

A few weeks ago we wrote about the Jack Daniels Holiday Select, which Brown-Forman kindly sent Steph and I for Christmas. You can read more about it here, but in short it's a limited run of 49% ABV JD from barrels selected especially to create their distillery Christmas Tree. As far as I'm aware, this is the third annual release.

I've always been a fan of Jack Daniels Silver Select (which is basically Single Barrel at 50% ABV, made for the Global Travel Retail market), so this expression at 49% was off to a good start before I even cracked it...

Jack Daniels Holiday Select 2013 (49% ABV, NAS, Tennessee USA, $130AUD)
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Colour: Rich golden sunset.

Nose: Spice, vanilla, a hint of oatmeal. A second nosing gives rich berry notes - raspberries, blueberries. Definitely has the standard JD notes too.

Palate: Yes this is definitely a JD! But more spice, much more oatmeal, more charred oak characteristics. Smooth and filling in the mouth - this is what a JD should be! Banana notes (which I've always gotten from JD) are evident too.

Finish: Long! Very long. Spicy cumin notes with a hint of berry fruits, but mostly banana, at the end.

Rating (on my very non-scientific scale): 90/100. An excellent limited JD expression with an interesting back story, a stunning bottle and quality / unique packaging. If you're a JD fan I'd suggest grabbing a bottle, although Dan Murphys seem to be sold out already.

Cheers,
 - Martin.

PS: Despite the photo above, as with all whiskies this was tasted in a Glencairn glass for consistency with my other tastings.