Jack Daniel’s 14 Year Batch 1 vs Batch 2: Which Wins?

Jack Daniel’s 14 Year Batch 1 won Tom’s blind pick for its bold, viscous flavor, while Steve chose Batch 2 for its balanced sweetness, spice, and oak. We tasted both without knowing which batch was in either glass, and neither bottle gave us an easy choice.

At a glance

• Whiskey: Jack Daniel’s 14 Year Tennessee whiskey.
• Batch 1: 126.3 proof; Tom’s pick in our blind tasting.
• Batch 2: 117.6 proof; Steve’s pick in our blind tasting.

Nose: cherry, sweetness, and very little banana

Batch 2, our first blind sample, brought cherry right away. Butterscotch split us at first: one of us picked it up, while the other stayed focused on the cherry.

It smelled and tasted recognizably like Jack Daniel’s to us, but we got very little of that banana note. Cherry was much more prominent.

Batch 1 had a different nose, though cherry still showed up alongside a nice sweetness. Its cherry character felt more muted than Batch 2’s.

Palate: Batch 2’s oak versus Batch 1’s cinnamon

Batch 2 leaned oakier and cherrier. Brown sugar and molasses added sweetness, with spice keeping it balanced. As we kept tasting, Steve picked up more butterscotch and black pepper, too.

For Steve, those flavors layered together nicely. It had the cherry, oak, sweetness, and spice he wanted, without the alcohol taking over.

Batch 1 shared enough cherry and molasses with Batch 2 to make this a tough blind comparison. The difference was how boldly it delivered those flavors. We found more cinnamon, more spice, and more warmth.

We suspected Batch 1 was the higher-proof pour before the reveal. That turned out to match the bottles: 126.3 proof for Batch 1 versus 117.6 for Batch 2.

Tom preferred Batch 1’s quieter cherry note because it let more of the whiskey character come through. Batch 2’s stronger cherry flavor was enjoyable, but it wasn’t what he liked most in this comparison.

Mouthfeel and finish: Batch 1 brings the heavier hit

Both pours gave us a thick mouth coating and flavor that lasted. Batch 2’s brown sugar became more noticeable as it sat with us.

Batch 1 felt more viscous and slightly oily. It brought the heat, then let that heavy flavor roll across the mouth and stick around. That was a big part of its appeal for Tom.

Steve preferred Batch 2’s more balanced delivery. He didn’t want the whiskey to slap him in the gums, and Batch 2 showed him plenty of flavor without that same heavy hit.

We disagreed on complexity as well. Tom found more complexity in Batch 1’s bold profile. Steve found it in Batch 2’s sweet-and-spicy layers. Neither of us thought the other pour was bad; we wanted different things from it.

Availability: Batch 1 was still hard to find

At the time of this tasting, we still hadn’t seen Batch 1 available. We thought most of it had already been snapped up and was mainly in secondary-market hands.

A friend shared a sample of Batch 2, which finally gave us the chance to compare them. Tom’s preference for Batch 1 only made him want to find it more.

Batch 3 has our attention

We’re curious to see what Jack Daniel’s 14 Year Batch 3 tastes like after these two different experiences. If you can get hold of Batch 1 and Batch 2, try them side by side blind and see which style you prefer.