Jack Daniels Old No. 7, square bottle, 750ml, 80 proof, $16-20.
Undoubtably the most popular American whiskey in this country and perhaps the best known one in the world. Jack Daniel's is not a bourbon as most people think but it is a filtered Tennessee whiskey. Every drop of JD goes through 10 feet of suger maple charcoal before being casked. Doing this sweetens the finished product much like the chared casks that bourbon is stored in.
Make no mistake, JD is not a refined sipping drink that you savor every complex drop. Mainly because it isn't that complex, it is a big rough drink that puts the taste of caramel and chared wood right up front. Best over ice if you must or mixed with just about anything. Of course, the straight from the bottle option is fairly popular too.
To me JD is the place to start your expieriance with whiskey, the sweetness appeals to the younger drinkers IMO. Hopefully, the complexities of bourbon or aged rye will be appreciated as time goes on but for some drinkers they never quite get there. JD must be doing something right based on their sales but they don't get as much of my money as they did 30 years ago. Still, it is hard to pass up a JD & coke on a warm summer night.
Like a bottle of Jim Beam white label, everybody should have some Old No. 7 in their liquor cabinet.
Edited by AVB, 29 January 2007 - 01:40 PM.
