Jack Daniel's Triple Mash Review [In Depth]
Jack Daniel's Triple Mash Whiskey
by: ALEX WANG
Founder, writer
Founder, writer
Jack Daniel's Triple Mash Details
Distillery: Jack Daniel’s
Type & Region: American Whiskey, USA
Alcohol: 50%
Composition: Unknown
Aged: At least 4 years
Color: 1.2/2.0 on the color scale (chestnut, oloroso sherry)
Price: $35-40
From the company website:
“Triple Mash. A blend of three bonded whiskeys with pleasant notes of honey, malt, and soft oak leading to a long lasting well rounded finish. Bottled in Bond. Distilled by a single distillery, during a single season & matured in a government bonded warehouse for at least 4 years.”
Jack Daniel's Triple Mash overview
Jack Daniel’s Triple Mash is a big shift in how Jack Daniel’s does whiskey. Up until the release of this whiskey, Jack Daniel’s has done Tennessee Whiskey (Old No. 7, Gentleman Jack, Single Barrel 47% ABV, Single Barrel Barrel Proof, and Sinatra Select) and rye whiskey. This Triple Mash is a shock to the system, something we’ve never seen before from Jack, or at least to my own knowledge.
Jack Daniel’s Triple Mash is a blend of Tennessee whiskey, rye, AND malt whiskey (all bottled in bond). You know the first two, but whaaaaat…the biggest surprise for me is that they make malt whiskey (meaning a majority of the mash is made from malted barley).
Since when have they been making that? It’s bottled in bond, so for at least four years. Still, all of a sudden they’re pulling out malt whiskey and throwing it at us in a blend? Talk about being sly, like Beyonce dropping a new album out of nowhere.
You know what that also means…a malt whiskey new release might be in the works, and would be a huge addition to the Jack Daniel’s lineup. I’m excited to try that, whenever they choose to release it. Who knows, maybe it’ll be a standalone bottled in product whiskey someday.
On top of that, you don’t find many American whiskeys that are a blend of these three very different whiskeys. Of the major US distilleries, I can only think of MGP and now Jack Daniel’s who make bourbon, rye, and malt whiskey. That said, there’s no information on the ratios, so there could be a lot of malt whiskey or a little. Either way, this is an interesting combination that I want to try for myself.
Let’s find out what’s going with this big mashup in this Jack Daniel’s Triple Mash review.
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Jack Daniel's Triple Mash smell
Jack Daniel’s Triple Mash kicks it off with honey and brown sugar, vanilla, banana, apple, apricot, cherry, baked bread, banana bread, roasted oak, cinnamon, and lighter licorice and coffee grounds. There’s a moderate amount of everything, and it covers a lot of ground.
The apple and apricot, which I rarely find in Jack Daniel’s across the board, reminds me of a fruitier version of Old Forester or Cooper’s Craft Barrel Reserve more than Jack Daniel’s. That’s a very good thing, because that’s been sorely missing from the Jack Daniel’s equation.
Swirling (with 6-7 minutes of rest) brings out more banana with the honey, brown sugar, vanilla, apricot, cherry, baked bread, roasted oak, cinnamon, nutmeg, and hint of dark chocolate and licorice. This is going to sound a little confusing, but Triple Mash smells evenly fruity: Brown Forman banana-y and sweet up front, apricot and cherry in the middle, and oak and spice in the back.
There’s some back and forth between the fruit and spice, all while still maintaining the usual Brown Forman character (fyi viscous banana). The twist is that it reminds me a bit of Four Roses’ “delicate fruit and rye”, but with the banana and other stuff.
Really, there’s a lot to like, especially the extra fruitiness that I don’t think is remotely normal for Jack. At the same time it’s not some overly impressive whiskey that hugely outperforms its price (it does outperform) and smells like an amazing $100 whiskey (like Stagg Jr back when not impossible to find for $50).
I don’t ever think “oh man this is so amazing and unique, everyone has to try it”, but I do give it props for overall smelling pretty good. It gets a thumbs up.
suntory hakushu whiskey taste and aftertaste
My first sip (fine, first 3) has honey, banana, vanilla, apricot, cherry, red apple, roasted oak, baked bread, cinnamon, caraway seed, and banana peel. It’s bright and fruity with backing darker oak and spice. Now that I think about it, it’s like a more fruity Cooper’s Craft Barrel Reserve. I have no idea what components bring what, but it all comes together nicely.
Like other Jack Daniel’s whiskeys, Jack Daniel’s Triple Mash has the signature Brown Forman banana and viscosity. It fills it well for the most part, but there is still some of the blobby pillowiness that I often find in Brown Forman whiskey, meaning that there isn’t great definition and the richness doesn’t fully match the viscosity.
But you know what, there’s still good range and it drinks like a decently mature and developed whiskey. It’s just nothing spectacular.
“Chewing” gives me honey, brown sugar, vanilla, banana, toasted bread, apricot, cherry, roasted oak, cinnamon, licorice, and caraway seed. Even with the agitation, the flavors feel well balanced with nothing suddenly blasting out of nowhere to rock the balance.
I’m still surprised at the extra fruitiness that I’ve never experienced with Jack Daniel’s, or any Brown Forman bourbon for that matter. And no, I haven’t had Old Forester 150th Anniversary (yet, I do have some) or King of Kentucky.
Honey, banana, vanilla, apricot, roasted oak, cinnamon, caraway seed, and lightly tannic oak start off the finish. After a minute or so, there’s gently tannic and roasty honey, which reminds me of Jack Daniel’s barrel proof than anything else.
After “chewing”, there’s more of a rush of more banana and fruit, then goes into honey, apricot, cherry, roasted oak, dried grass, and caraway seed with lingering banana, cherry, and lightly tannic roasted oak. There are no surprises, the aftertaste stays true to the flavors.
Jack Daniel’s Triple Mash feels like a huge improvement from regular Old No.7 and Gentleman Jack, which I recognize are totally different whiskeys at this point. Whatever it is, the combo of rye + malt + Tennessee whiskey equals something good. It’s a unique and nice change of pace for Brown Forman, and it stays the same with subsequent sips with just a little heat.
Jack Daniel's Triple Mash Rating
I give credit where it’s due: Jack Daniel’s Triple Mash Whiskey is quite good and I’m happy to tell you that. I have a lot of experience with Jack Daniel’s whiskeys (many of them not good), and I can tell you that it’s a sizable shift in scent and flavor profile that makes it a more interesting and enjoyable whiskey, and a unique Jack Daniel’s expression. I applaud their experimentation, and doing it right.
It still maintains the core Brown Forman banana viscosity and banana bread vibe, but brings a new dimension of fruitiness that I’ve never experienced in Jack Daniel’s, not even the overpriced joke that is Sinatra Select. Seriously, this Jack Daniel’s Triple Mash is way more interesting, so please stop buying Sinatra Select. Buy this Triple Mash and a Single Barrel Barrel Proof for about the same amount of money. You might even still have money leftover.
If you dislike Old No. 7 and/or Gentleman Jack, put those experiences aside. While Jack Daniels Triple Mash is similar in some ways (like the caramel, banana, and vanilla), it’s much better in virtually every way. For $35-40, it’s easy to drink (you might even say smooth) but with nice range and development for a worthwhile drinking experience. But no matter how much other people hype it up, please temper your expectations because it’s good but not THAT good.
Even though I eat a lot of bananas, I still have mixed feelings about it in my whiskey. That’s one reason why I generally don’t gravitate towards Brown Forman whiskeys. Nonetheless, I recognize that I enjoy a lot of what is in there and I will tell you that it’s worth getting.
I will also tell you that in my opinion, it’s not even close to being Whiskey of the Year material. I’ve touched on it a few times already, but there’s nothing particularly outstanding about Jack Daniel’s Triple Mash. I don’t mention that to bash this whiskey, but to manage your expectations given the talk out there. I’m not even trying to be nice to Brown Forman, because I bought this bottle myself.
Nonetheless, I respect and appreciate what Jack Daniel’s has done, breaking away from their norm and releasing another whiskey worth trying. I also respect the fact that they set this at around $35, staying away from the laughable pricing of Sinatra Select and Old Forester Barrel Proof. Good job Brown Forman, you avoided your previous bad decisions to sell something good AND affordable.
Meet the Author: Alex
I have far too much fun writing about whiskey and singlehandedly running The Whiskey Shelf to bring you independent, honest, and useful reviews, comparisons, and more. I’m proudly Asian American and can speak Cantonese, Mandarin, and some Japanese.
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