Rich maple candy | Caramel | Brown butter | Slightly charred oak | Banana soufflé | Touch of butterscotch | Silky sweet aroma

Light butterscotch | Baking spices | Aged dry oak | Maple candy | Light rye grain | Burnt caramel

Chewy charred oak | Thick caramel | Light maple candy | Rye spice | Baking spices | Quick transition to lingering spice

Introduced last year, Jack Daniel’s 12 Year Tennessee Whiskey is the older of the two aged expressions launched by the company, with the other being aged for 10 years. Now an annual release, Jack Daniel’s Master Distiller Chris Fletcher, states that the “Jack Daniel’s Aged Series has given us the opportunity to produce modern whiskeys that simultaneously capture the essence of the liquid Mr. Jack created over 150 years ago.” These two expressions afford consumers the opportunity to try not only the two age stated whiskeys that the company produces on an annual basis, but also the two oldest whiskeys they’ve ever released.

The whiskey opens with such an elegant silky nose that it will make you stop to check that you’re drinking Jack Daniel’s. Rich maple candy and sweet notes of caramel and brown butter are immediately noticeable, followed by layers of slightly charred oak and a desert note of banana soufflé. Similar sweet scents from the nose carry over to the midpoint as light butterscotch and maple candy combine with baking spices and more grounded notes of burnt caramel and dry oak. While not the same intensity of silkiness, the palate does well to display the flavors on hand. The finish starts with a nice balance of chewy oak and thick caramel, along with a supporting cast of flavors from the earlier part of the sip. While pleasant, they’re all short-lived before a transition to lingering spice is made.

This year’s edition marks a change in direction compared to last year’s release. Whereas the inaugural edition focused on a plethora of fruit and sweet notes, this year leans more heavily into its time spent in barrels with a focus on aged oak and spice notes, in addition to candy-sweet notes. While Batch 2 may not quite hit the same level that last year’s fantastic release did, that’s not to say that this isn’t a great showing of Jack Daniel’s that whiskey fans will want to scoop up.

‍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.