Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel Rye (45%, OB, 2017)

• Category: Tennessee Rye Whiskey
• Origin: Jack Daniel Distillery
• Bottling: Brown-Forman, Jack Daniel’s
• ABV: 45%
• Cost: £46.95

What they say:

Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel Rye

Our first new grain bill in 150 years.

This historic creation marries the smoothness of Jack Daniel’s with a unique 70% rye grain bill. Complex flavors of ripe fruit mingle with light toasted oak notes to create a taste rich with spice and a pleasant lingering finish. This is a big, bold rye that does not overpower.

What I say:

The first new grain recipe out of Jack Daniel’s distillery in 150 years is a tasty rye, made with 70% rye, 18% corn and 12% malted barley, what’s more they decided to release this mashbill in their Single Barrel range!

Many thanks to Nidal Ramini at Brown-Forman for the sample.

Colour:

Golden brown/autumn leaves (15/20), numerous fine tears leave fine legs.

Nose:

Not as overtly sweet as Woodford Reserve’s Rye expression possibly due to the higher Rye and lower corn content of JD’s mashbill, this is sharper on the nose with powdery baking spices, cinnamon buns, malty barley and other cereal notes, nutty with almond and marzipan, beer, yeast and baking aromas followed by fruity cherry and banana

Taste:

Neutral sweet/savoury, cereals and spices develop into yeasty bread, banana bread, bran, wheatgerm, rye bread & malt loaf, fruit develops as apricot and orange oil with a touch of cloves, dried fruit and nut ‘trail mix’ and oaky wood and hints of tobacco leaf and pepper

Finish:

Medium-short, woody oak present cinnamon and vanilla spice while cereal notes persist

Overall:

A smooth, grain-heavy expression with a reserved sweet and fruity nature makes for a supreme sipping whiskey. An excellent balance is achieved making this one quite chewy and savoury but dodges the real peppery spice that can come from rye. Instead a well baked spiced fruit-loaf is delivered on the palate which becomes moreish with the woodier elements in the finish. We sampled this expression alongside Woodford Reserve Rye and found this easier to drink as it wasn’t as cloyingly sweet.

Score: 85/100

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