Rating:
Price:
£130-150ish
In A Nutshell:
A bloody good Tennessee whiskey – great taste, great finish, dangerously easy drinking but I don’t buy the Sinatra thing and wouldn’t spend £150 on this one!
*Insert joke about ‘Frankness’ here*
I’m gonna be honest here and say I don’t rate ‘ol Blue Eyes’. I could give some of my reasons, but who cares, really? It’s not that I don’t like the guy, I just don’t see what all the fuss is about.
That aside, one thing I do understand why people care about is whiskey. Oh yes. So, when given an opportunity to try some of Jack Daniels‘ Sinatra Select, I said ‘OK’ and tried not to drink anything the day beforehand.
This tasting was held at The Savoy, London, a hotel/institution as historic as they come.
The occasion? (Mr.) Jack Daniels’ birthday! – nobody actually knows when the man was born so people basically celebrate the whole of September. Legit.
Anyhow, it seems for a limited time drinks made with this one are on the menu at a few London spots that Frank would have frequented. Guests staying at Savoy’s Sinatra Personality Suite get a complimentary ‘Sinatra on the Rocks’ (the whiskey on ice) at The American Bar, or at the rather attractive Beaufort Bar.
I’m not sure how much it costs by the glass but I’d imagine it’s not cheap.
What’s It Taste Like Then?
I tried it neat (no rocks required…)
Nose: Slightly sweet on the nose. My nose is not discerning enough to get much other than a little vanilla.
Palette: Creamy and warming – I guess with some of that vanilla that you come to expect from JD. It also seems to get smoother still over time, I don’t know if this is because I become habituated to it or what, but by the end it’s reached an impressive level of ‘easy-drinkingness’. Take it away before it takes me away. The grooves cut into the barrel supposedly increase the whiskey’s exposure to oak – which apparently makes it smoother.
Finish: Long finish – very satisfying. One of the longer finishes I have experienced in an American whiskey.
Other stuff: It comes in a 1L bottle, as oppose to the usual 0.70/0.75. It also comes in a fancy case and with a pamphlet about the friendship between Jack and Frank (they were pretty tight…)