Spent the day moving stone, dirt, and building more of the monumental garden that the lovely Mrs_Bob asked for as her Mother's Day gift. Its a series of raised beds, with crushed limestone paths between the beds. So now my body is sore, I'm sitting in a big leather chair relaxing and I'm going to reward myself with another bourbon comparison.
Tonight its the battle of the big boys. JIM BEAM'S Signature Craft -vs- JACK DANIEL'S Single Barrel. Yes I know that Jack Daniels is a "Tennessee Whiskey" but it also, by definition, qualifies as a bourbon.
Both are a dark rich amber in color, not light or golden but more brown. The shades of the two are nearly identical, if pressed I'd say that Jack Daniel's is only slightly darker.
Neither offers a sweet smell, and both offer up the smell of alcohol. The Jack Daniels offers up some spice in its aroma while the Jim Beam doesn't really seem to offer up too much!
The first sip of the Jim Beam Signature Craft left a little tingle on the lips but a smooth mellow flavor on my tongue and a slight burn only after swallowing and it hit bottom. The second sip was identical to the first, with the identical mild burn in the belly.
Shifting over to the Jack Daniels Single Barrel and my mouth was immediately assaulted with a harshness that did not exist in Beam's offering. Its just not a good drink. It burns on the way down and in the belly, its harsh in the mouth, it leaves an unpleasant tingle on the lips and inside of the mouth afterwards.
Back over to the Jim Beam Signature Craft for a final sip before adding ice and its definitely the easier of the two to drink.
So now dropping a single cube of ice into each glass.
The single cube is now about half melted into each of these bourbons. The Jim Beam Signature Craft mellows out a bit and the flavor is still fairly mild. The taste is good, not really sweet, but offers up a hint of sweetness and the burn, while still present has mellowed out a little bit and still only exists when the drink hits bottom. While the flavor is fairly mild, there does seem to be an elevation in something spicy on the tongue. The JIM BEAM Signature Craft is a pretty easy to drink bourbon with some nice flavors and is only hampered by the modest burn in the belly.
Switching over to the Jack Daniels Single Barrel and even after the dilution from the mostly melted ice cube its still a harsh flavored drink that smacks your mouth, its got more than a hint of spice, but the tingling in the mouth and the burn in the belly have diminished considerably with the addition of the melting ice cube. I definitely like the Jack Daniels better after the ice is melted into the drink but that is not to say that I really like this drink. I can say that I really don't like it. Its simply not worth whatever I paid for it. Its a bit better than my least favorite, the Journeyman Bourbon, that one is simply bad. This offering from Jack Daniels, despite its premium price, premium bottle and "Single Barrel" designation, it is just not very good.
Between the JIM BEAM "Signature Craft" and the JACK DANIELS Single Barrel I'd easily choose the Jim Beam product.
For whatever it might be worth, I'm suffering from a slight acid integestion this evening, so the burn in my belly from the alcohol may be more severe than on some other day.