I think JD calls it a sour mash whiskey because they want it to stand out as something different from other bourbons. It is, it's disgusting.
Ten best bourbons: Top bottles of the all-American whiskey
- Thread starter buffdaddy
- Start date
For those old enough to remember, Jack Daniels used to be fairly decent. At that time it was 90 proof. It has undergone a few downgrades, in proof and I believe aging, over the past 30 or so years. It is unfortunately strictly a coke mixer these days, IMO, and I never mix my hooch with coke. JD does make some tolerable higher-end booze though, so I assume the distiller still knows how to make bourbon/Tennessee whiskey.
George Dickel continues to make a very good Tennessee whiskey. Dickel #12 (90 proof) is quite good IMO as is the single barrel select. I also like the Dickel rye. Must be something to do with their filtering technique, because I tried their very low-end offering Cascade Hollow, and thought it was pretty good and for a very low price. Of course, if you aren't a fan of the charcoal filtering, then Dickel probably isn't for you.
As to why Jack and George don't label their product as bourbon, I think the answer is a complex one. For a long time they were the ONLY Tennessee produced whiskies available---more are being made now. So it differentiated them from the ubiquitous "bourbon". Also, it would have been a bit controversial to label these whiskies as "bourbon" as the thinking for a long time was, the final charcoal filtering was an "additive" and therefore taboo in bourbon making. Some of the more recent thinking, by the bourbon cognoscenti, is that the charcoal filtering does not count as an additive and therefore does not preclude these whiskies from being labeled as bourbon. At least that's the way I understand it.
As for being labeled "sour mash", well that does not differentiate if from bourbon as all bourbon (or nearly all bourbon) is indeed a sour mash whiskey. I think labeling the whiskey as "Tennessee Sour Mash" helped these whiskies differentiate themselves from the mainstream bourbon, while at the same time tipping those in the know off to the fact they were made in the bourbon style. Anyway, just a thought.
George Dickel continues to make a very good Tennessee whiskey. Dickel #12 (90 proof) is quite good IMO as is the single barrel select. I also like the Dickel rye. Must be something to do with their filtering technique, because I tried their very low-end offering Cascade Hollow, and thought it was pretty good and for a very low price. Of course, if you aren't a fan of the charcoal filtering, then Dickel probably isn't for you.
As to why Jack and George don't label their product as bourbon, I think the answer is a complex one. For a long time they were the ONLY Tennessee produced whiskies available---more are being made now. So it differentiated them from the ubiquitous "bourbon". Also, it would have been a bit controversial to label these whiskies as "bourbon" as the thinking for a long time was, the final charcoal filtering was an "additive" and therefore taboo in bourbon making. Some of the more recent thinking, by the bourbon cognoscenti, is that the charcoal filtering does not count as an additive and therefore does not preclude these whiskies from being labeled as bourbon. At least that's the way I understand it.
As for being labeled "sour mash", well that does not differentiate if from bourbon as all bourbon (or nearly all bourbon) is indeed a sour mash whiskey. I think labeling the whiskey as "Tennessee Sour Mash" helped these whiskies differentiate themselves from the mainstream bourbon, while at the same time tipping those in the know off to the fact they were made in the bourbon style. Anyway, just a thought.
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I like Old Grand Dad, Evan Williams, Early Times. The best to me is Wild Turkey! I cannot afford expensive liquor. I don't drink a lot either (diabetes and gout). A taste once in a while is great!
Agreed. SWMBO does not like bourbons in general... she likes Rye and Irish.
Neither of us like JD, but our #1 and #2 for the daily evening dram are Bulleit Rye and Gentleman Jack.
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