When you were new to drinking, ordering a drink at a bar felt like a daunting task. Sure, if you wanted a domestic or craft beer it was no big deal. But mixed drinks were a bit stickier. There’s a lot of pressure standing there in front of a bartender with countless other people staring at you while they await their turns. Maybe your mind went blank and you just yelled out the first drink you thought of.
Or maybe you simply ordered a “Jack and Coke” every time.
I’m not knocking the classic Jack and Coke. It’s a classic for a reason. It’s simple, flavorful, and certainly easy to order. If you make it yourself, all you need is a can of Coca-Cola (or your preferred cola), a bottle of Jack Daniel’s, and maybe some citrus to give it an extra zing. That’s it.
But is Jack Daniel’s actually the best accompaniment to Coke? Or do we just go with it because the name rolls easily off the tongue? Maybe another budget bourbon would work better when mixed with sugary cola? There’s only one way to find out. That’s right, it’s time for another blind taste test. This time, I’ll be pitting the classic Jack and Coke against seven similarly-priced bourbons (each in the $15-30 range).
Our lineup includes:
- Jack Daniel’s
- Jim Beam
- Wild Turkey
- Maker’s Mark
- Evan Williams
- Buffalo Trace
- Four Roses
- Old Forester 86
Let’s get our whiskey and Coke on!
Part 1: The Taste
Taste #1
Tasting Notes:
Complex aromas of vanilla, butterscotch, spicy pepper, and herbal mint met my nose before my first sip. Drinking it revealed the expected hit of sugary cola paired with notes of caramel corn, candied orange peels, vanilla cream, rich oak, an herbal quality, and gentle, spicy rye.
It’s very complex and adds new dimensions to the classic cocktail.
Taste #2
Tasting Notes:
The nose features vanilla, butterscotch, slight pepper, and mint that play well with the sugary cola aroma. Sipping it revealed citrus zest, oak, vanilla, candied almonds, and a slight peppery spice that complemented the soda portion of the drink quite well.
Taste #3
Tasting Notes:
A lot is going on with this whiskey’s nose when mixed into this cocktail. First, there were aromas of vanilla, caramel, and brown sugar, that moved into charred oak and spicy cinnamon. On the palate, there were notable flavors of caramel corn, rich oak, bitter chocolate, butterscotch, dried fruits, and slightly spicy cinnamon that added a nice kick to the sweet cola.
Taste #4
Tasting Notes:
Rich oak toasted vanilla beans, dried fruits, and a nutty sweetness mingle well with the cola aroma on the nose. The nose tricked me because the palate isn’t as complimentary. It’s slightly fruity, oaky, and nutty, but still ends up trapped in the background behind the overpowering cola flavor.
Taste #5
Tasting Notes:
The nose is dominated by fruity, caramel, and sweet corn aromas along with the sugary sweetness of cola. The palate features notes of cinnamon, oak, and some vanilla that pair well with the sugary soda, but just don’t knock it out of the park.
From my notes: “A bit lacking when paired with cola.”
Taste #6
Tasting Notes:
The nose is overwhelmingly sweet with notes of candied pecans, vanilla beans, and caramel. The palate is a little spicier and highlighted by notes of crème brulee, cinnamon, butterscotch, rich oak, and slight smoke. While very sweet, this flavor works really well with the sugary sweetness of cola.
Taste #7
Tasting Notes:
Vanilla, sweet corn, caramel, and sugary cola, that’s all the nose has to offer. Pretty bland and unremarkable. This whiskey got lost very easily in this cocktail. There were slight hints of vanilla beans and caramel, but not much else. Overall, a fairly watery, tasteless addition to the cocktail.
Taste #8
Tasting Notes:
Right away this whiskey’s nose is bold and filled with aromas of rich oak, vanilla, toffee, and a nice kick of peppery spice to go along with the cola scent. The palate is a mix of vanilla cookies, buttery caramel, bitter chocolate, and peppery rye that works well with the sugary sweetness of the Coke.
Part 2: The Rankings
8) Jim Beam (Taste 7)
ABV: 40%
Average Price: $19
The Whiskey:
Jim Beam’s flagship expression that features the iconic white label is one of the most popular bargain bourbons ever made. Always cheap, aged for four years in charred, American oak barrels, it’s a great base for any cocktail, especially a whisky and cola.
Bottom Line:
If you prefer your whiskey and cola to taste like soda and not whiskey, Jim Beam is the drink for you. That is unless you add way too much whiskey. If you’re just adding a single shot, you’ll be disappointed with this pairing.
7) Four Roses (Taste 5)
ABV: 40%
Average Price: $19.99
The Whiskey:
Four Roses Yellow Label is a favorite of bartenders and whiskey aficionados. It’s bargain-priced for the value and aged for a minimum of five years, this 80 proof bourbon features a complex flavor profile well-suited for mixing into your favorite whiskey-based cocktail.
Bottom Line:
We’re getting closer, but we just aren’t there yet. Four Roses is a great mixing bourbon but just doesn’t have the flavor profile that complements the bold flavor of Coke.
6) Maker’s Mark (Taste 4)
ABV: 45%
Average Price: $28
The Whiskey:
Maker’s Mark is one of the most recognizable bourbon brands in the world. Even with all the notoriety, its flagship expression remains remarkably cheap. A great mixing and sipping bourbon, it gets its soft, mellow flavor from the addition of red winter wheat in the mash bill instead of the spicier rye.
Bottom Line:
I expected more from such a well-known brand as Maker’s Mark. A popular mixer and sipper, it was a little too sweet to be a base for this drink.
5) Evan Williams (Taste 2)
ABV: 43%
Average Price: $15
The Whiskey:
There’s likely no better value bourbon bottle than Evan Williams Black Label. Named for the man who opened Kentucky’s first distillery, its flagship expression is an 86 proof gem that’s aged for at least four years in charred, oak barrels. Even at around $15 per bottle, it’s known for its rich, mixable flavor profile.
Bottom Line:
For $15 it’s hard to find a better bourbon to pair with sugary cola. The peppery spice, slight mint, and oak do a decent job complementing the caramel flavors of the soda.
4) Wild Turkey (Taste 8)
ABV: 40.5%
Average Price: $22
The Whiskey:
You could easily go to Wild Turkey 101 for this one, but that’s a little bold and potent for some drinkers. Its 81-proof expression is aged using the brand’s deepest charred oak barrels. The result is a spicy, sweet, oaky bourbon that works as a tremendous mixer for whiskey cocktails.
Bottom Line:
If you prefer your whiskey and cola to have a spicier flavor, Wild turkey is the whiskey for you. It’s complex and balanced but has the extra kick that sets it apart from the sweet cola flavor.
3) Jack Daniel’s (Taste 6)
ABV: 40%
Average Price: $25
The Whiskey:
Jack Daniel’s is the reason we’re doing this blind taste test in the first place. The drink is called Jack and Coke for a reason. This mellow, popular whiskey is famously filtered through sugar maple charcoal. It’s a staple for most home bars due it both its mixability and sipping ability.
Bottom Line:
It’s no surprise that Jack Daniel’s faired really well in this taste test. It’s literally the whiskey this drink was created for and probably helped calibrate my palate when it comes to this cocktail. It’s sweet, slightly spicy, just a tad fruity, and pairs well with cola.
2) Old Forester 86 (Taste 1)
ABV: 43%
Average Price: $23.99
The Whiskey:
First launched way back in 1870, Old Forester 86 is the one bourbon produced before and after prohibition. It gets its name because (you guessed it) it’s 86-proof. This award-winning bargain bourbon is well-known for its well-balanced, complex flavor profile.
Bottom Line:
Citrus, spice, vanilla, Old Forester 86 has everything you’d want in a complimentary whiskey for a whiskey and cola. This will be difficult to beat.
1) Buffalo Trace (Taste 3)
ABV: 45%
Average Price: $23.99
The Whiskey:
When it comes to beloved bargain bourbons, there’s no whiskey more loved by bartenders and bourbon fans right now than Buffalo Trace’s flagship expression. This small-batch bourbon is known for its spicy, sweet, well-balanced, highly mixable flavor.
Bottom Line:
I’m sorry to tell the folks at Jack Daniel’s, that while the classic, Tennessee-based whiskey is a great complement to Coke, Buffalo Trace with its complexity and an extra kick of cinnamon is even better.
