K Michelle and Jack Daniels Southern Peach

I recently received a six-pack of a new offering: Jack Daniels Southern Peach, from the Country Cocktails line. The press release says, “The smooth and refreshing Southern Peach, is the newest flavor of Jack Daniels Country Cocktails. Crafted in collaboration with singer, K. Michelle, Southern Peach is perfect for light drinkers who are looking for a crisp and sweet beverage.”

Jack Daniels Southern Peach

It’s a “premium malt beverage”, which means it’s actually a flavored beer with no whiskey in it at all. That came as a little bit of a surprise to me, given Jack Daniels reputation as a whiskey brand. If you’re expecting something that tastes like Jack Daniels whiskey, you should adjust your expectations.

Southern Peach is more along the lines of a wine cooler. It’s 4.8% AbV, which puts it in the same range as most beers. It’s not as filling as most beers, and it’s not as sweet as most wine coolers.

The taste

It tastes like a really good peach soda made from real peaches. I really didn’t taste any beer, but the beer did add a little bit of carbonation. It’s not overly sweet, and there’s a nice tart edge to the flavor that makes it surprisingly refreshing. K. Michelle said,

“I wanted the one that was very smooth and the one that you could make sangria with, or you could cook with, because I like cooking with different things. That is why I picked this one flavor, because it was so light and it went down, it just had a refreshing flavor.”

And that’s a good description of it. This is a great drink to enjoy all on its own, straight out of the bottle, which makes it perfect for tailgating and picnics. But you can soak some fruit in it. Or you could cook some chicken or a spicy vegetable blend in it.

The low alcohol content – on par with beer, and less strong than wine or whiskey – makes it a drink you can enjoy before dinner, or along with a dinner. It would be perfect and oh-so-southern enjoyed alongside smoky pulled pork. And, you could throw some of it in with the pulled pork to give it a hint of delicious peach flavor.