Distillery: Jack Daniel's
Proof: 94
Age: NAS
Mashbill: 70% Rye, 18% Corn, 12% Malted Barley
BACKGROUND: Jack Daniels is an iconic and legendary distillery that needs no introduction. A Brown-Forman company, Jack Daniel's is in Lynchburg Tennessee and produces Tennessee Whiskey and Tennessee Rye Whiskey. Jack Daniel's brought their Single Barrel Rye to market in 2016 after trying an un-aged rye in 2012 and rested rye in 2014. Jack Daniel's new rye mashbill was the first new mashbill for the distillery since the prohibition. Jack Daniel's Single Barrel Rye comes as both a single barrel and private barrel selection at both 94 proof and at cask strength. Their rye whiskey is aged in the upper regions of their barrel house where it’s exposed to the increased temperature variation. The Single Barrel Rye is at least 4 years old.
NOSE: Sweet scents waft up from the glass in the form of banana cream, cloves, freshly baked rye bread, and peanut oil. I expected some more rye spice notes that never appeared but still thoroughly enjoyed the nose. The nose is very approachable and enjoyable (22/25)
PALATE: Banana and plantain notes start the palate off with a nice creamy and chewy feel. Those notes are followed by some caramel, oak, rye spice, and black pepper. The flavors blend together nicely giving this a unique flavor profile that is distinctly creamy and chewy while also adding spice and char notes that old No. 7 is known for. (35/40)
FINISH: The finish is quite long and spicy with a nice bite of pure ethanol and alcohol. Along with the ethanol notes are flavors of barrel char, roasted peanuts, and all-spice.(21/25)
VALUE: Jack Daniel's Single Barrel Rye has an SRP of $50 which is a fair price for this rye. (6/10)
Overall: 84/100
FINAL THOUGHTS: Jack Daniel's Single Barrel Rye Whiskey is a very tasty rye whiskey that can be enjoyed by anyone and everyone. It is not overly spicy and the proof is very approachable making this a great choice for those dipping their toes into rye whiskey. We really enjoyed the balance of the char and creamy notes of banana and plantain.
Similar & Slightly Better Whiskey: Willett Family Estate 4 Year Rye
Similar & Equal Whiskey: Spirit Works Rye Whiskey
Similar & Slightly Worse Whiskey: Manifest Straight Rye
Tell us what you think and give us some feedback!
Scoring Legend:
96-100: The perfect dram, juice of the gods
90-95: Near perfect, truly incredible whiskey
85-89: Amazing whiskey, will always try to keep a backup bottle of this
80-84: Very good, some minor flaws here or there
75-79: Good, quite enjoyable to drink, Will try and keep a bottle on the shelf
70-74: Solid, wouldn’t go out of my way to get this
60-69: Decent, would offer this up to non whiskey drinkers
50-59: Not my cup of tea
Below 50: Give away