by gillmang » Sat Oct 28, 2006 7:44 am
If I may comment on my own review, I think the most distinguishing feature of these single barrel bottlings is their concentrated quality which reinforces the best features of the whiskey while reducing the less attractive qualities.
I think if B-F wanted, it could probably get a specific profile (say black fruit-like and so forth) by combining barrels in a small batch and selling it at 100 proof. As it is we get the authenticity (as far as can be known) of a pre-Prohibition whiskey since a lot of whiskey then was sold from barrelhouses. Barrels would have been tapped as is, not mixed that is although some might have been in backbar decanters.
That way too you would get the "best" wood qualities of a group of barrels.
Anyway the whiskey is very nice as it is. I would say to anyone who wants to try JD in its optimum form: buy the Single Barrel, even if you buy less as a result (few of us buy whiskey regardless of its price, me included).
If you acquire three or four SBs over time and then blend them you may get an excellent result. In the past I used to do this with JD 80 and GJ too (i.e., blend all expressions) but I think now I'll restrict it to the North American single barrel bottlings. I'll keep my Silver Select separate since it is the only one I have and I want Mike to try it when I see him soon.
Gary