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Maker's Mark vs Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel Select
Comparing Maker's Mark and Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel Select reveals a matchup between a traditional, wheated Kentucky staple and a traditional, even-keeled Kentucky staple.
Key Specifications
| Feature | Maker's Mark | Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel Select |
|---|---|---|
| Type / Style | Wheated Bourbon | Traditional Tennessee Whiskey |
| Mash Bill | 70% corn, 16% wheat, 14% malted barley | 80% corn, 8% rye, 12% malted barley |
| Age | No age statement | No age statement |
| Proof | 90 proof (45% ABV) | 94 proof (47% ABV) +4 proof |
| Approx. Price 1 | ~$25 – $32 ~$22 less | ~$45 – $55 |
| 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
Maker's Mark
Not rated yetNo notes yet.
Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel Select
Not rated yetNo notes yet.
Flavor Profile
Maker's Mark Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel Select
Axis by axis, biggest gap first
spice 2/5 spice: Maker's Mark 2 out of 10, Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel Select 5 out of 10
oak 4/7 oak: Maker's Mark 4 out of 10, Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel Select 7 out of 10
sweetness 8/6 sweetness: Maker's Mark 8 out of 10, Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel Select 6 out of 10
heat 3/5 heat: Maker's Mark 3 out of 10, Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel Select 5 out of 10
nuttiness 3/4 nuttiness: Maker's Mark 3 out of 10, Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel Select 4 out of 10
fruit 4/4 fruit: Maker's Mark 4 out of 10, Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel Select 4 out of 10
Flavor Profile Differences
Rye spice is the dividing line here.
- Maker's Mark: The bottle that made wheated bourbon mainstream. Soft, sweet, and deliberately low on spice and oak, with baked bread and honey doing most of the work. Consistency is its real feature.
- Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel Select: Barrels pulled from the top of the rickhouse, where the temperature swings are hardest, and it shows as considerably more oak than any standard Jack. A genuinely different proposition from the black label.
Which One Should You Choose?
- Go with Maker's Mark if you want a reliably sweet, low-spice wheater that is easy to find and easy to drink at a lower price point.
- Go with Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel Select if you want a distinctly oakier, more concentrated Tennessee whiskey with barrel-to-barrel character.
Best enjoyed neat, rocks, cocktails, highball (Maker's Mark); neat, rocks (Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel Select).