Old No.7 Just Ain't What He Used to Be: Tasting NEW Jack Daniels
Written: Jan 31 '05
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Pre-mixed with water, for YOUR convenience
Cons: Watered down quality ain't what it used to be!
The Bottom Line: Even watered down, Jack Daniels is a smooth, gentle tasting whiskey. I just wish they'd let *ME* add my own water!
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| mrkstvns's Full Review: Jack Daniels 'Old No.7' Whiskey |
If you've been noticing that your glass of Jack Daniels tastes a little different nowadays than you remember it, you'd be right. The folks at Brown-Forman Corporation, the parent company of Jack Daniels, tweaked with tradition in a big way 'round about a year or so ago. What they did was water down the strength from 86 proof to 80 proof (a 7 percent drop). Their market tests showed that over half their customers couldn't tell a difference, so corporate marketing went ahead and approved "Operation Pull Wool Over Eyes", which was intended to B.S. the spirit consuming world into thinking that this was a good change.
Unfortunately, real live folks who like real whiskey are figuring out two things: 1) the company made the change only to fatten profits at the expense of their customers, and even more importantly, 2) the whiskey doesn't taste as good as it used to!
What Jack Doesn't Want You and Me to Think About...
According to the spin-meisters at Brown-Forman, the watering down of Jack Daniels is happening because consumers wanted "lighter spirits". There's just two little problems with that theory: 1) I hear a ton of grumbling from long-time Jack drinkers, and 2) if the change was done for the benefit of consumers, then why doesn't the company at least pass along some of the savings???
Let's crunch a few numbers, shall we?
About two years ago (I'm too lazy to dig around for newer numbers), Brown Forman did annual sales of $2.2 billion. Just over half their annual revenue comes from Jack Daniels (by far their most popular brand).
Watering down the whiskey from 86 to 80 proof means that they can boost shipments by 7 percent without distilling and aging so much as one extra drop of whiskey! In dollars and cents, this means that changing by seven percent the strength of Jack Daniels alone has the potential to generate more than $75 million per year in increased revenue with no additional production costs. Essentially, they get to do a price increase without you and me actually seeing the prices go up! If they did this across their product line, they would garner an additional $154 million! (Do you still believe their spin meisters???)
Seven percent might not sound like a big change, but when you deal with larger numbers, it is hugely significant. It is also enough to make a difference to you and me when we get to the cash register at our friendly local liquor barn. Assume you paid $15.99 a bottle for Jack. If the company watered it down by seven percent due to "customer demand", it should be able to cut the price by $1.11 per bottle.
Have you seen prices drop on the cheaper quality Jack Daniels??
Nope. Me neither!
That's because Brown Forman is feeding the consumer public a whole whiskey barrel full of what I like to call "B.S." (to use the technical term).
Bartender! I Thought I Ordered My Jack WITHOUT Water...
The problem with watering down a spirit is that you can't easily un-do it. If folks like a watered down "light drinking experience", they can always serve their whiskey with water or ice, which is what whiskey drinkers have done for years. What's the big deal?
On the other hand, it IS a big deal if you like real drinking pleasure, and you're the kind of person who prefers to drink their spirits "neat". Drinking a spirit straight up let's you best experience all of its flavor nuances in an unadulterated manner, and it's the only way a real connoisseur can ever fairly evaluate spirits on an equal footing.
And strength does matter. That's why a lot of single-malt scotch purists seek out "cask strength" bottles of their favorites. Because the flavors are more intensely concentrated. Because the alcohol is at its purist. Because the flavors of the wood from aging are not tempered and muted by water or additives. As a general rule, the closer a spirit is to its cask strength, the "purer" it will be from a purist's perspective.
This has nothing whatsoever to do with getting drunk, which seems to be what the guys at Brown Forman like to play up. It has everything to do with quality, which is what Brown Forman evidently likes to play down.
At cask strength, Jack Daniels is 125 proof. Ideally, a cask strength version would be sold to people who really like to drink whiskey. Ideally, the cheapest grade Jack would be 90 proof. When corporate greed sets in, you'll go down from there...
Sampling a Glass of the *New* Jack...
Pouring a shot of Jack into a tumbler and twirling it around, I don't see a big change from the old familiar Jack. It is still a deep straw, light copper colored golden liquor with a beautifully brilliant clarity.
The aroma is light with some honey like sweetness and a touch of caramel softness.
The flavor is soft and smooth, with a bit of a rounded nuttiness to it and an overall sweet flavor --- in some ways, it reminds me a bit of an intense version of Post Sugar Crisp cereal. There's also a light phenol smokiness, but its mostly tempered by softer vanilla overtones. It's a pleasantly light whiskey that reminds me a bit of a Jura scotch I had not too long ago...
The lighter character of the whiskey really comes through in the mouthfeel more than anywhere else. The whiskey tastes less intense than it used to. It's less bold and less bulky. In the aftertaste, there's a noticeable difference with less alcoholic warming and less burn as it goes down.
It's still smooth, it's still sippable, it still has the flavor facets that Jack drinkers expect....just less of all those flavors. It is still a drinkable whiskey, I just don't like it as much as I used to, and I honestly think that as of 2004, you can much better tasting whiskies than Jack.
Bottom of the Barrel...
You can go ahead and keep buying Jack Daniels if that's what you want to do. In fact, the guys in suits at Brown Forman Corporation are counting on it, or you can do what I'd recommend, and switch to a better whiskey....one that has not been recently watered down to fatten corporate coffers....errr....I meant "to satisfy consumer demand for lighter beverages"....yeah, that's the ticket.
Next time you're tempted to reach for the familiar square Jack Black, why not try a Maker's Mark? It's a good solid American classic bourbon whiskey, and as good as the flavor is the fact that it has not been pre-diluted for you --- you can add your own water if you like it that way, but if you like it neat, you can drink it that way too....YOUR choice, not corporate marketing's!!
Recommended:
Yes
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