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Four Roses Small Batch vs Jack Daniel’s 12 Year
Four Roses Small Batch and Jack Daniel’s 12 Year sit on opposite sides of a familiar divide: an old-guard, rye-forward classic versus an old-guard, classically built classic.
Key Specifications
| Feature | Four Roses Small Batch | Jack Daniel’s 12 Year |
|---|---|---|
| Type / Style | High-Rye Bourbon | Traditional Tennessee Whiskey |
| Mash Bill | 75% corn, 20% rye, 5% malted barley | 80% corn, 8% rye, 12% malted barley |
| Age | No age statement | 12 years |
| Proof | 90 proof (45% ABV) | 107 proof (53.5% ABV) +17 proof |
| Approx. Price 1 | ~$32 – $38 ~$65 less | ~$80 – $120 |
| Availability | Widely available easier to find | Limited |
- US shelf prices as of 2026-08; they vary widely by market.
AG’s Rating and AG’s Notes
Four Roses Small Batch
Not rated yetNo notes yet.
Jack Daniel’s 12 Year
Not rated yetNo notes yet.
Flavor Profile
Four Roses Small Batch Jack Daniel’s 12 Year
Axis by axis, biggest gap first
oak 5/8 oak: Four Roses Small Batch 5 out of 10, Jack Daniel’s 12 Year 8 out of 10
sweetness 6/8 sweetness: Four Roses Small Batch 6 out of 10, Jack Daniel’s 12 Year 8 out of 10
heat 4/6 heat: Four Roses Small Batch 4 out of 10, Jack Daniel’s 12 Year 6 out of 10
spice 6/5 spice: Four Roses Small Batch 6 out of 10, Jack Daniel’s 12 Year 5 out of 10
fruit 7/6 fruit: Four Roses Small Batch 7 out of 10, Jack Daniel’s 12 Year 6 out of 10
nuttiness 3/4 nuttiness: Four Roses Small Batch 3 out of 10, Jack Daniel’s 12 Year 4 out of 10
Flavor Profile Differences
Oak is doing most of the differentiating here.
- Four Roses Small Batch: Four Roses' yeast strains push this toward fruit and florals rather than wood. Red berry and cinnamon over a light body, with the rye showing up as brightness instead of bite.
- Jack Daniel’s 12 Year: Twelve-year Jack Daniel's at 107 proof. Sweet and creamy, with butterscotch, pipe tobacco and seasoned oak.
Which One Should You Choose?
- Go with Four Roses Small Batch if you want a fruit-and-floral profile that stands apart from the usual caramel-and-oak template at a significantly lower price point.
- Go with Jack Daniel’s 12 Year if you want a sweet, creamy, well-aged Jack Daniel's with pipe tobacco and oak with more proof behind it.
Best enjoyed neat, rocks, cocktails (Four Roses Small Batch); neat, rocks (Jack Daniel’s 12 Year).