Single malts are a bit of a gimmick when it comes to American whiskeys. By definition, they're made from 100 percent malted barley and from a single distillery. Instead of being aged in single use, brand new barrels, they can instead spend years in used casks to impart new flavors -- which takes a little bit of air out of the single-origin whiskey compared to a blend.
In the U.S., this means whiskeys that are less sweet and bring a little more depth. But unless you're drilling down on those flavors with each sip, you might not see the difference between the two. It's not an automatic indicator of quality, and sometimes it can be an unwanted twist on comforting source material. Since it's a style most commonly associated with Scotches, it tends
to be a price multiplier regardless of whether the spirit inside is rising alongside it.
There are still plenty of very good American single malts. The question is whether Jack Daniel's makes one.
Let's see how it tastes.
Jack Daniel's American Single Malt: A-
This pours lighter than expected; it's not thin, but it's also not as dense as the other longer-aged whiskeys I've been drinking lately. There are minimal legs left behind on the glass after being tipped from its one-liter square bottle. The smell off the top, as expected, is plum and grape and some sugar and mash underneath it.
The first sip is, quite possibly, one of the most gentle openers I've had in a neat glass of whiskey. The American Single Malt is remarkably mellow. There's a swirling current of flavors that don't overpower, but instead mesh nicely together. It has almost a cool, chilling effect when it hits your lips. It starts off sweet at the tip of your tongue, then allows those fruit flavors to kick in.
There's cherry, plum... lots of dark fruit influences that remain the headline of each sip. There's a very dessert feel here, as some brown sugar and cinnamon wrap things up on the way to your esophagus.
The finish is stupidly smooth -- not unheard of from Jack Daniel's, but maybe even a step beyond the typical, sweet, mellowed charcoal influence. It's a perfect whiskey for someone who doesn't like whiskey. It's a perfect whiskey for someone who likes the Original No. 7 but wants something with a little more depth. It's a brutal pickup for someone who doesn't want sweet, fruit flavors in their tipple.
I'm right in the middle of that sweet spot. This is solid as hell.
Would I drink it instead of a Hamm's?
This a pass/fail mechanism where I compare whatever I’m drinking to my baseline cheap beer. That’s the standby from the land of sky-blue waters, Hamm’s. So the question to answer is: on a typical day, would I drink Jack Daniel's American Single Malt over a cold can of Hamm’s?
Yes. It's a great step into a world of denser, fruitier whiskeys without losing the core of what makes Jack, Jack.
This is part of FTW’s Beverage of the Week series. Here, we mostly chronicle and review beers, but happily expand that scope to any beverage that pairs well with sports. Yes, even cookie dough whiskey.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: Jack Daniel's American Single Malt review: A gentler, fruitier Jack?
