Price: £9.99
Competition: Jack Daniel’s, Wild Turkey
The consumer
The label doesn't exactly stand out and makes it look like an own-label alternative to JD. With a 22% abv, this isn't going to appeal to regular whiskey drinkers. What is more, the lower abv meant it didn't have that satisfying, warming aftertaste.
It makes sense that younger people would buy it, but are they meant to drink it neat or mix it with coke? All in all, it's a drinkable tipple and the flavour isn't unpleasant. But I don't mind paying a few extra quid for the more flavoursome Jack Daniel's. Three stars (out of five)
Thom Brooks, gardener, Horsham
The retailer
The description on the label is overly wordy in an attempt, I suspect, to cover the legal aspects of "fermented alcohol with smokey bourbon flavours". The aroma is more akin to blended whisky but, mixed with cola, it does become more similar to the mainstream bourbons.
The taste, however, really lets it down, not being particularly sweet and lacking the fruit and oak flavours that the target customer is likely to expect. One star
Joshua Hetherington, category buyer, spirits & fortified wine, The Co-operative Group
The Grocer
First impressions were positive enough - a pleasant aroma, albeit with a certain sweetness. The flavour was suitably smoky but it lacked depth and I detected an oddly nutty aftertaste.
On the rocks it went down easily but when served with Coke, as the maker recommends, it was rather lost. This might work as a change of pace for non-whiskey drinkers, but at £9.99 you'd be better off paying a few pounds more and getting Jack Daniel's. Two stars
Charlie Wright, web editor
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