Review: Gentleman Jack Tennessee Whiskey

Up for review today is Gentleman Jack, which is the main higher-end offering from Jack Daniels. Like the classic Jack Daniels Black Label, it's a Tennessee whiskey. This style is similar to bourbon, but has the distinguishing feature of being filtered through blocks of charcoal. And, you know, being made in Tennessee. This particular one is filtered two times through charcoal, which is purported to give it a mellower, smoother flavor than the regular black label, which is just filtered once. Does it? Let's take a closer look.

Poured into a glass, Gentleman Jack has the standard amber color of a bourbon, though a bit on the light side. The aroma contains an interesting rye character, and is sweet but fairly harsh, and frankly reminiscent of a cheap bourbon. Thankfully, the flavor is somewhat better. It's a little too sweet for my liking, but there's a fair amount going on. Charcoal is strongly present at first, which gives way to corn and a caramel sweetness. The overall character is indeed quite reminiscent of Black Label JD, though certainly smoother and sweeter. A bit of fruit is evident on the finish, which is somewhat astringent.

It's certainly a step up from Black Label, but I'm still not in love with this one - the flavors don't really hang together too well, and it still lacks a little bit in smoothness. If you're a fan of Jack Daniels or Tennessee whiskey in general then it's worth a shot, but there are plenty of bourbons in this price range that are much, much better.

Price: ~$30

Value: 13/20
Overall Quality: 14/20