Review
217
7/12/14
Gentleman
Jack: 40% abv
Background: Here we
go. Occasionally, the KCM crew likes to step back to the classics. We have
never done a Jack Daniels review and you shouldn’t expect many more, but this
is an instance where a bottle has been purchased and is ready for judgment.
Gentleman Jack is Jack Daniel’s attempt at making a middle-range bottling of
Jack Daniels to charge customers more for. Would you guess they would raise the
proof? Increase the age time? Do some unique finishing operation or change the
mash bill? You’d be wrong on all accounts. Gentleman Jack gets the Tennessee
treatment twice, instead of once. This
is charcoal filtering, and that allegedly makes Tennessee whiskey differentiable from Bourbon, which I won’t refute at this very moment. In an
“informative” video, a man in a Jack Daniels shirt informs us that short
finishes and lack of oak flavor in Gentleman are the staple qualities that set
this thing apart. It also sports a classically cheap 40% abv, and this man informs
us that often times it’s not what we
taste, but where we taste it that’s
important. I like to taste whiskey in my mouth. I’m sure by now we’re all
excited to try this velvety smooth masterpiece.
Straight
Nose: Yes,
this is sweet alright. They weren’t kidding with that. Instantly, smells of
anise, candied cherries, vanilla extract and white sugar pronounce themselves.
There is some confectionary aroma in this glass, with a very mild hint of
grains. This seems like a corn-heavy mash bill, and the sweetness makes the complexity difficult
to find. There is a distinctive alcohol smell that actually becomes more
pronounced as the whiskey opens up.
Arrival: The
arrival starts very candied, with sweet artificial fruit flavors. The candied
cherries are very dominant, and there is a sweet, syrupy flavor up front. It is
almost maple in flavor. There is some spice as well that is distinctive in the
arrival. There is some bitter fruit flavors in the arrival as well, such as
slight cranberry, but none of it stays for very long.
Body: There
are suggestions of oak flavor in the body, and is pretty thin. Hints of anise
and hot spices come across in the body, but dissipate quickly.
Finish: The
finish leaves with a strong taste of sweetened corn and some wheat flavor.
There is some maraschino cherry juice in the finish, which is actually the most
eventful part of the whisky. Gentleman just seems to do a good job of lacking
substance. There seems to be an ashy, charry wood flavor that is retained
through the finish, which serves as the most interesting feature of the
whiskey.
Final Comments: Sorry,
sports fans. I tried adding water and unfortunately there is nothing to report.
So what is there to conclude. This is the pinnacle of gimmicky drinks. I guess
it isn’t too bad, but it lacks balance, it certainly lacks complexity, and the
most unique thing about it is it’s “smooth”. Folks, the fallacy that Jack is
trying to promote with this bottle is that complexity and ease of drinking are
mutually exclusive. Those things aren’t true. The idea that WHAT you taste
isn’t as important as WHERE you taste it is just madness. This isn’t worth the
money, it isn’t worth the bad marketing, and it isn’t worth the ignorance. It
is drinkable, and it is tolerable, but it doesn’t engage the drinker. Overall,
this isn’t worth buying, and Jack Daniels will find that our generation of
drinkers isn’t looking for something lacking in dynamics.
Why you’d buy it: You’re
a Jack drinker and you want to splurge on something more expensive, and just as
bad.
Why you wouldn’t: See
review.
Score: 6.75/10
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