Red raspberry | Banana | Stewed apples | Cinnamon | Sweet charred oak | Excellent

Cherry | Cranberry | Plum | Dry oak | Dried fruit | Fruit forward with tempered sweetness

Leather | Dry oak | Light smoke | Barrel char | Soft lingering smoke aftertaste

Jack Daniel’s has been on a bit of a creative roll since 2022. Not only did they introduce their first age stated whiskey since Jack Daniel’s himself was in charge, they also introduced a Bonded whiskey, a Triple Mash whiskey, and even moved out of their comfort zone and are trying their hand at a malt whiskey. Who would have thought a decade ago any of this would have occurred? Year by year, they are winning over whiskey diehards and there’s no better place to do that than with age statements. Besides proof, age statements can make the biggest impact on whiskey drinkers both in perception and purchase decision making, which is why it's great news that Jack Daniel’s is back with a second batch of their 10 Year Tennessee Whiskey. Even more surprising, they’re introducing a new 12 Year Whiskey at the same time. To further excite fans of Jack Daniel’s and age statements in general, they plan to continue increasing the age of releases in their annual “Aged Series.”

Jack Daniel’s 10 Year Old Tennessee Whiskey Batch 02 opens with an excellent aroma. A slurry of red raspberry, banana, and stewed apples mixed with cinnamon and sweet charred oak is stunning. The palate carries over some of that fruitiness, only a shade darker, by introducing cranberry, plum, and mixed dried fruit. Oak also is a major player at the midpalate which only ramps up even more during the whiskey’s finish. This is when the whiskey turns noticeably dry, which intensifies its leather and barrel char notes. The whiskey finishes with a light smoke aftertaste.

Batch 02 of Jack Daniel’s 10 Year is noticeably more fruit and oak forward this year, yet less sweet overall. Even compared to Jack Daniel’s 12 Year, there is much more aged oak present in it, which is surprising seeing as it spent two less years in barrels. For fans who like a stronger oak backbone in their whiskeys or perhaps wondered what a Jack Daniel’s whiskey would taste like with a strong mature oak undercurrent, this whiskey will be for them. It showcases a new dimension Jack Daniel’s whiskey hasn’t always been able to properly showcase due to the lack of an age statement: how age, barrel location, and blending can dramatically affect how their whiskey tastes.

‍Editor's Note: When this review was originally published, the Mashbill was stated as 80% Corn, 12% Rye, 8% Malted Barley. The review was updated on 5/2/2024 to reflect the proper mashbill of 80% Corn, 12% Malted Barley, 8% Rye.