Elijah Craig Small Batch vs Gentleman Jack
It doesn’t necessarily make a lot of sense to compare Gentleman Jack and Elijah Craig Small Batch, but hear me out first. From my memory, Gentleman Jack and Elijah Craig Small Batch have this somewhat similar dried grass and nutty note that often exists in Jack Daniels, Heaven Hill, Jim Beam, and some Wild Turkey whiskeys. This comparison is even more relevant because they both cost about the same at retail, so some people may actually be comparing them on the shelves when they shop.
With this similar grassy nuttiness in mind, over time I’m going through the exercise of comparing whiskeys from these distilleries so you and I can better understand how different they are. Right now let’s start comparing in this Gentleman Jack vs Elijah Craig Small Batch comparison.
The below table outlines key facts and figures for each whiskey.
How do they Compare?
And the winner is...
Yes, while Gentleman Jack and Elijah Craig have this sort of similar dry grassy note, the similarities pretty much end there. Gentleman Jack isn’t unpleasant, it’s just generally boring and bland, especially compared to the deeper and more layered Elijah Craig Small Batch that has some character. Gentleman Jack does everything in its power to be smooth and inoffensive, at the expense of being interesting, so I guess Gentleman Jack is actually successful at achieving its primary goal. For me, Gentleman Jack is this flat honey and maple syrup with vanilla buttercream, roasted banana, grain, some oak, and a little dry grass. I prefer Old Forester 86 Proof Bourbon.
Elijah Craig Small Batch at least takes me on a journey through the layers of caramel, nuttiness, dark fruits, oak, spice, and chocolate that usually keeps me engaged. Elijah Craig Small batch is just really solid, although I personally prefer Elijah Craig Barrel Proof, but that’s beside the point. I have two pieces of consumer advice for you. First off, if you’re going to drink Jack, drink Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel. I actually enjoy both the 47% ABV and barrel proof versions. Second, Elijah Craig Small Batch is a solid bourbon that works well as a daily sipper and in my opinion is far superior to Gentleman Jack.
