Anything tastes great so long as you add enough sugar and fat.

It turns out that our brains are all about that junk food even before we take the first bite. Our ancient ancestors would be all over calorie-dense foods, especially when times were tough and they needed to pack on the pounds. It’s a relic of our evolutionary past that modern junk food advertisers continue to exploit in 2023. Merely seeing that glistening steak, or that exquisite dessert tart already sets off the reward circuits in our heads. As soon as the food actually hits our taste buds, boom! Our brains start blasting dopamine. If we are constantly shovelling in fried chicken and donuts, our brain can get all numbed out – steadily producing lesser and lesser dopamine for the same amount of sugar and fat. We start needing to eat more junk food to get that same release. Basically, it’s like chasing a high with cheeseburgers.

No doubt, sugar or richness are necessary for making dishes and desserts taste good. Yet, focusing too much on sugar and fat to carry a dish would become a bit of a cheap shortcut isn’t it? I mean, sure, you could add a ton of sugar and butter to a dish to make it taste good. However, many of the most impressive restaurants, particularly those focused on contemporary cuisine, strive to create dishes that are well-balanced. Sugar and fat are flavour enhancers, but the impressive restaurants tend to demonstrate a focus on creating harmonious and satisfying dishes by enhancing natural flavours of the ingredients, or cleverly weaving together complementary flavours.

When it comes to the whisk(e)y lovers’ community, we like to live on the edge of decadence. Never mind the alcohol quotas that health authorities recommend. We’re not content with any old hooch at 43% ABV – no Sir. We’re drawn to high-proof cask strength (or barrel-proof) whiskies. Punchy 60%-and-above whiskies with much higher alcohol content that tend to offer more intense flavours and aromas, more complexity and a fuller body. We relish the warmth and burn that inevitably comes with such “big boi” spirits, not content to settle for wussy whiskies. We marvel when a 65% ABV drink goes down as smoothly as a 40% ABV drink, chalking it up to masterful distilling and maturation.

Have we become too obsessed with high ABV now? I ask these questions as I hold in my hand the Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel Coy Hill High Proof release. This is a single barrel special release intended to honour Coy Hill, the highest rolling hill on the Jack Daniel Distillery property. This release also showcases how the warehouse exposed to extreme weather and maturation conditions could produce an intense whiskey. What’s most outstanding about this bottling is its ability to knock you out. It comes in at a staggering 140.2 proof or 70.10% ABV. As far as I know, this is Jack Daniel’s highest proof range of bottlings with some batches going as high up as 77.55% ABV.

So, would we find this incredibly boozy Jack Daniel good? Let’s give it a taste.

Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel Coy Hill High Proof, 70.10% ABV – Review

Appearance: Dark ruby with amber flecks under the light.

On the nose: Redolent with sweet and sticky dessert notes, caramelised notes and baking spices. Unmistakable notes of sticky date pudding, peaches n’ cream and deeply caramelised apples. Just-as-present notes of aromatic baked buns make their appearance along with baking spices - a handful of cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and even cocoa powder – and then extra aged Mimolette cheese (the sort that is savoury and very caramelised and nutty at the same time).

The aromas are highly complementary and mutually reinforcing. I wouldn’t say the aroma is much more complex than average bourbon but this is certainly one of the most intense nosing experiences.

In the mouth: Without first adding water, this is all at once rich, candied and full of baked goods. The first sip already bursts with bright candied notes of sweet raspberries, baked cherry pie and rich, milky Dulce de Leche (Latin American caramelised milk jam) – the level of sweetness is almost as intense as a root beer. Quickly develops and unfolds into heavily toasted brioche bread, crème caramel, soft toffee candy, Spanish latte from % Arabica coffee. The heat gradually builds from the beginning and reaches its potency 2 to 3 seconds into the tasting; hot spices make an entrance, with more cinnamon, nutmeg, anise, ginger and eventually, the sensation of numbing-spicy ma la sauce (麻辣). Only then does the heat make it a little bit difficult to discern the more nuanced flavours.

Adding some water does not seem to improve this much. The heat and spice would subside, along with the rich dark toasty notes, and enhances the brighter notes of raspberries and cherries.

The finish: Long and enduring. Wraps the experience up with more vanilla, caramel, dry oakiness and a pleasant bitter dark chocolate note. It is also laced with a subtly sour apple cider note.

My thoughts

🍔+🥓

I love it. This is so rich, so intense and so over-the-top in flavour, like a thick layered caramel cheesecake or a slab of lasagna topped with extra cheese and even bacon. There is a lot of piquancy also - a fair bit of heat towards the middle of the experience that almost threatened to overwhelm the tastebuds, but I’m happy to report that my tastebuds have escaped unscathed.

This is so intense it could turn off those who seek moderation, balance and dare I say “elegance” in their whiskies. This Jack Daniel’s is intense and punchy and makes no apology for it. If you have read my preamble, another gripe of mine is more philosophical than anything.

Botting a great whiskey at an ABV of over 70% almost feels like a restaurant relying on excessive amounts of sugar and fat to make their dishes taste good. The intensity and sheer amount of alcohol sets off dopamine fireworks in the heads of us alcoholics. This tastes fantastic, yes. But just as motorsport has different engine classes and professional boxing events are split into different weight classes to level the playing field, it’s hardly surprising that a 70.10% ABV whiskey is more well liked than all other bottles of lower ABV.

Whisk(e)y is required to be bottled at 40% ABV and above. However, there is no legal upper limit on the percentage of alcohol you could bottle in a whisk(e)y around the world. There are also plenty of whiskies that demonstrate great complexity at a moderate 46-50% ABV. Maybe they deserve more praise from us for making more with less. What do you think?

@Charsiucharlie