I could have sworn I had already done this blind.

Jack Daniel’s has three readily available bottles in its Bonded Series: Bonded Tennessee Whiskey, Bonded Rye and Bonded Triple Mash. I have owned all three for at least a year, sampled all three several times and developed fairly strong opinions about each one.

But apparently, I had never put those opinions to the test.

All three bottles are 100 proof. All three can usually be found somewhere in the low-$30 range. And all three carry the Jack Daniel’s name, which means I expected plenty of the banana, caramel and brown sugar notes that tend to identify whiskey from Lynchburg.

Honestly, I thought I might be able to tell them apart, even in a blind.

Jack Daniel’s Bonded Tennessee Whiskey begins with the same 80-percent corn, 12-percent malted barley and 8-percent rye recipe used for Old No. 7. The difference is that the Bonded version must come from one distilling season, be aged for at least four years in a federally bonded warehouse and be bottled at exactly 100 proof. It is essentially classic Jack turned up several notches.

Bonded Rye uses Jack Daniel’s 70-percent rye mash bill and receives the same Lincoln County Process charcoal mellowing used on the distillery’s Tennessee whiskeys. It joined the permanent Bonded Series in 2023 with a suggested retail price of $31.99.

Triple Mash is the unusual member of the family. It blends three bottled-in-bond whiskeys produced at Jack Daniel’s: 60 percent Tennessee rye, 20 percent Tennessee whiskey and 20 percent American malt whiskey. All three components were distilled during the same season, aged under bottled-in-bond requirements and combined at 100 proof.

None of these should be bad whiskey. The real question is whether one of them delivers noticeably more for roughly the same amount of money.

As usual, the samples were poured into small, numbered bottles before being transferred into three Glencairns. I knew which three whiskeys were involved, but I did not know which one was in each glass.

Glencairn A

The whiskey showed a solid amber color.

The aroma was an unmistakable Jack Daniel’s banana bomb. I found banana bread, caramel and vanilla, perhaps with a hint of nutmeg underneath.

A touch of oak led the palate, followed by brown sugar, cinnamon, bananas and vanilla. There was decent viscosity to the dram. It was far from amazing, but it carried enough weight to deliver an above-par finish.

Banana bread led the charge before giving way to sweet cinnamon.

Score: 80.94

Glencairn B

This whiskey was also a solid amber.

The nose was very similar to Glencairn A, with bananas, caramel and mild baking spices. The palate was a little more subdued than the first glass, but it was still a winner.

Ripe bananas, brown sugar and caramel dominated, followed by a touch of cinnamon. The mouthfeel was nearly identical to Glencairn A, but the finish disappeared a little more quickly.

Brown sugar, bananas and nutmeg remained after the sip.

Score: 78.34

Glencairn C

The third whiskey was lighter in the glass, showing more of a copper color.

Once again, the nose delivered bananas, caramel, nutmeg and light oak. The palate, however, was slightly different from the first two.

I thought this might be the rye because I detected an herbal note that seemed almost minty. Still, there was an abundance of bananas, caramel and brown sugar, keeping the whiskey firmly within the Jack Daniel’s family.

The viscosity was about the same as the others, and the finish was solid. A stone-fruit note appeared near the end, joining the familiar bananas and caramel.

Score: 80.29

The Reveal

Glencairn A: Jack Daniel’s Bonded Triple Mash

Glencairn B: Jack Daniel’s Bonded Tennessee Whiskey

Glencairn C: Jack Daniel’s Bonded Rye

I did identify the rye correctly, although the differences between the three glasses were less obvious than I expected.

The biggest surprise was that the bonded version of Jack Daniel’s signature Tennessee whiskey finished third. It was not bad. A score of 78.34 still makes it an enjoyable bottle, especially at its price. But next to the other two, it seemed slightly quieter, and its finish faded sooner.

Jack Daniel’s knows rye. The distillery has demonstrated that with everything from its inexpensive standard rye to its barrel-proof and special-release bottles. The Bonded Rye reinforced that reputation here, finishing less than a point behind the winner.

But Jack plainly knows how to blend whiskey, too.

I have heard plenty of people say Triple Mash is the best of the three Bonded Series bottles. After sampling all three for about a year—and finally comparing them blind—I tend to agree.

The Triple Mash combined the familiar sweetness of Jack Daniel’s with enough oak and spice to give it additional structure. It barely defeated the rye, but it delivered the most complete experience of the three.

Because these bottles occupy essentially the same price range, there is no complicated Cheapskate calculation required. The best whiskey is also the best value.

Jack Daniel’s Bonded Tennessee Whiskey may be the most recognizable member of the family. Bonded Rye may be the most distinctive.

But Triple Mash is the bottle I would buy first.

The Bourbon Cheapskate winner: Jack Daniel’s Bonded Triple Mash.