BBQ SAUCE OF THE WEEK: Jack Daniel's Original No. 7

In 2001, the Jack Daniel's name was licensed to Heinz to create a line of barbecue sauces, steak sauces and marinades. The Jack Daniel's-Barbecue connection is well established, with Lynchburg and JD annually hosting one of the most prestigious barbecue cookoffs in the nation. Heinz developed a line of products using "Jack Daniel's Tennessee Whiskey Flavoring (Natural & Artificial Flavors)". They made the plastic bottles in the shape of Jack Daniel's bottles. And voilà...let's go make some money.

Honestly, for a sauce that hangs its hat on a whiskey brand, it seemed to lack any real whiskey flavor. Allegedly the "Master Blend" flavor contains a stronger whiskey flavor...fyi. There are also Honey Smokehouse, Hickory Brown Sugar, Spicy, and Steakhouse flavors to choose from. Mostly what this sauce is is smoky and sweet. It's very very thick and dark burgundy colored, with a smooth texture. And like I said...smoky. This is one of the smokiest barbecue sauces that I have yet tasted. The sweetness is strong as well. It's a dense molasses sweetness that seems to enhance the smokiness. There's not much more to the flavor than that...a little bit of vinegar, a little bit of mustard, and maybe if you tilt your head just right, a little bit of whiskey.

Grade: C