Just last month we wrote about the release of Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel Rye Whiskey. It’s the finished product of a life cycle that also saw the limited releases of an unaged rye and a two year-old expression. And now, with a fully-matured bottle in hand, we’re ready to taste the stuff.
Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel Rye sports a mashbill that’s 70% rye–with the remaining grains composed of 18% corn and 12% malted barley. There’s no age statement on the bottle, but considering the two-year-old version was released in early 2014, we can assume that this stuff’s about four years old.
On the nose, it’s fragrant, welcoming and relatively mild considering that it’s 94 proof. The rye grains come through nicely, with some fruit, vanilla, caramel, cinnamon and oak not far behind. Take a sip and more of those oak notes come out–more than we expected, considering it’s not a particularly old whiskey. But pleasant flavors of dried fruit keep everything in check. It finishes warm and shorter than other single barrel expressions. And from start to finish, those rye grains play a prominent role, making this a robust, grain-forward and very drinkable whiskey.
After sampling the first two iterations, it’s good to see the final product has improved on those young, incomplete whiskeys. There’s a lot to like here. We’ll see how die hard Jack Daniel’s fans feel about the price. It’s more than twice that of the flagship Jack Daniel’s Old No. 7 but only a few bucks more than the regular, not-rye bottle of Single Barrel.
Stats:
— 47% ABV
— $49.99
CE Rating: ★★★★
