Our man on the bar stool meets JD & Friends at Urban Stack
TRAVEL ANYWHERE OUTSIDE NORTH America and then tell someone you’re from Tennessee—it’s most likely they will associate that with either Elvis or Jack Daniels. You would be better off skipping the geography lesson and just say, “I’m from where Jack Daniels is made.” They’ll get that.
Jack has been flowing out of the famous oak barrels in Lynchburg, Tennessee since 1866 and is the biggest-selling whiskey in the world with over 11 million cases a year. That’s a lot of firewater to come out of a small town where you can’t even buy the stuff!
I visited Urban Stack in downtown Chattanooga to have a gander at their very impressive menu of whiskeys. They currently stock more than 120 different selections at their bar. But this week, I’m concentrating on four of Lynchburg’s finest.
Of course, the famous Jack Daniels Black, labeled Old No. 7 is in order, and Urban Stack has their own twist on the most classic cocktail of them all, Jack & Coke. They call it a “Tennessee Jed” and use a reduction of the cola’s syrup that makes for a thicker, more concentrated flavor with less water to get in the way. You can really hunker down with one of these to get the evening started off right. That sweetness on top of the charcoal-filtered Jack is pert-near perfection.
The other labels I moved on to were to be sipped standing alone over the rocks. I don’t mean ice, either. They use real rocks in the glasses down there. So when you have a whiskey, that’s all it is and none of that pesky H2O is going to crash the party.
The Jack Daniels Honey is just what it says. It’s our old pal Jack infused with a bit of honey liqueur. The sweet honey aroma is prevalent in this one and although it stands just fine on its own, it’s also well suited to be placed with iced tea, which is what I’ll want to be trying next time. But there are two more bottles winking over at me.
Gentleman Jack is a relative new kid on the block. Having only been around since 1988, it quickly made a name for itself among discriminating whiskey palates. This wonderfully silky beverage is charcoal filtered a second time, as opposed to No. 7’s single Lincoln County process.That gives this Southern Gent a slightly floral vanilla nose that ultimately leads to a crisp, clean finish. This one on rocks is all ya need. Keep that dang soda-pop away from me when I’m having this one.
Lastly, I’m gonna try out Jack Daniels Single Barrel.
This is a concoction right out of the hand of Jimmy Bedford, the sixth master distiller, and the top of the mark to come out of the distillery.Each barrel is sampled and graded and is individually selected to carry the label. It’s a little more dry to the taste and noticeably darker, making this excellent 94-proof whiskey very woody and earthy. I’m glad I saved it for last because of the heavier flavor. It’s an obvious choice for a finisher. It’s got relaxation down to a science.
Ahhh....just leave me be.
Cheers.