It’s hard to think of Jack Daniel’s without the almost requisite “& coke” behind it, but the American whiskey maker’s new Craft & Luxury Collection is better savoured without the usual accoutrements.

Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel Collection is made with the distillery’s top-tier stock, and as the name suggests, is bottled from a single barrel at a time. We were able to sample the rare spirits at a virtual tasting with Grant Shearon, Advocacy Director of Brown-Forman (the company that owns Jack Daniel’s). A sip of the Single Barrel Select, which we tasted after the brand’s classic Old No. 7 Tennessee Whiskey, quickly revealed a more complex liquid, spicier than its predecessor. Rich, robust, with a stronger hint of spice. The spice came across even punchier with the Ryes, especially with the Single Barrel Rye – their first new mash recipe since 1866 – which is 70% rye (instead of 80% corn). Grassier, more spice-forward, subtler sweetness. And then there was the Barrel Proof, this writer’s personal favourite of the lot – it coats the mouth with a velvety, almost oily mouthfeel, rich with pepper, ripe fruit and toasted oak, and a long silky finish.

“Nectar of the gods!” was music legend Frank Sinatra’s famous proclamation about the Tennessee whiskey, so of course the brand would pay wonderful tribute to the late singer and their 50-year friendship together. The Sinatra Select, though not part of the aforementioned tasting, is described to be bolder, oakier, a result of a proprietary process of carving deep grooves into the handcrafted charred oak barrels. Butterscotch sweetness blending with a sprightly orange zest, with a finish “as smooth as Sinatra’s voice”.

All these and more (you can also find the very good Woodford Reserve there) are now available at the new Brown-Forman LazMall Flagship on Lazada, which is set to be the company’s most comprehensive online store in Asia, where all new and exclusive products will be slated to debut in the future.

“Singapore has seen a rapid digital transformation in 2020 and it is exciting for us to partner Brown-Forman in this step forward. The Brown-Forman LazMall store will help provide us the ideal platform to activate, engage and interact with an emerging group of consumers who are very keen to explore American whiskey and get acquainted with Jack Daniel’s,” said Alex Yong, Managing Director of Malt & Wine Asia, distribution partner of the Brown-Forman portfolio in Singapore.

3