If you promote greater than 50 million bottles of your flagship product, as Jack Daniel’s did with its Outdated No. 7 Tennessee Whiskey final 12 months, typically it’s good to attempt one thing new each every so often simply to maintain issues fascinating. Grasp distiller Chris Fletcher and his staff in Lynchburg proceed to innovate with smaller particular releases, and two latest merchandise are enjoyable additions to the product line.
The primary is Jack Daniel’s Distillery Sequence Choice #15, a high-proof Candy Mash Tennessee Whiskey that’s obtainable solely in Tennessee. What’s uncommon about this particular product is that 99-plus p.c of Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey is made utilizing a bitter mash course of, during which distillers take a portion of the spent grain mash (known as “backset”) from a distilling run and add it to the subsequent batch of contemporary grain earlier than fermentation begins. The acidity of the grain that has already launched its sugars helps decrease the pH of the brand new mash to preferrred fermentation ranges. It additionally helps to supply consistency of style from run to run.
Primarily, it’s simply custom — how distillers have performed it for generations at Jack Daniel’s and different producers. And a monster manufacturing facility — like Jack’s, with its a number of stills — prefers to run every part the identical manner day by day.
Besides when it doesn’t. Most individuals assume the stills at Jack Daniel’s run 24/7/365. However they really shut down for a couple of month each summer season. Why? Operators have to do deliberate upkeep, like once they changed the complete #3 nonetheless this summer season after 16 years of service. Primarily, they shut down as a result of it’s simply too rattling sizzling within the holler to work in a steamy distillery atmosphere and keep course of and temperature management.
Meaning the primary whiskey after the shutdown can’t be a bitter mash, as a result of they don’t have any spent mash so as to add to it. That’s the inspiration behind Distillery Sequence Choice #15, which is actually the primary run after trip.
Made with the identical grain recipe as outdated No. 7 — 80 p.c corn, 12 p.c malted barley and eight p.c rye — #15 was honored by separating the barrels from the remainder of the Tennessee Whiskey made afterward and saved for 9 years within the high flooring of Jack Daniel’s warehouses in Tract 2. The additional time and premium warehousing place created a wealthy whiskey with deep, darkish fruit flavors and butterscotch caramel notes. To assist characteristic the nuance from the candy mash and the additional getting older, Jack bottled it at a hefty 117 proof. It’s a novelty price searching for out in 375-milliliter bottles for an MSRP of $44.99. You gained’t discover it once more till subsequent fall, if then.
The second new launch from Jack Daniel’s is much more thrilling. It’s their annual Single Barrel Particular Launch, and this 12 months the bottles characteristic a rye whiskey aged in a revered piece of Lynchburg land. Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel Particular Launch Tanyard Hill Rye is a mouthful to say, and a mouthful to take pleasure in.
First, if you wish to sound like a local Lynchburger, pronounce it “tan-YARD.” not “TAN-yurd.” Tanyard Hill is subsequent to Coy Hill, simply southeast of the distillery and customer heart. Historically, that is the place among the finest and highest-proof whiskey comes from.
The brand new product was made utilizing the usual 70 p.c rye, 18 p.c corn and 12 p.c malted barley mash invoice recipe of Jack Daniel’s different rye merchandise, and the whiskey did run by means of charcoal mellowing like Tennessee Whiskey. Nevertheless, because it didn’t have as excessive of a corn content material, the rye solely spent a 3rd as a lot time passing by means of the charcoal because it didn’t have as a lot corn oil to strip out.
All of the whiskey within the Single Barrel Particular Launch Tanyard Hill Rye launch was distilled in October 2015 and entered the warehouse the subsequent month. The result’s an enormous, daring 10-year-old rye that picked up a bunch of proof throughout its oaky repose on Tanyard Hill. Round 150 barrels had been used, and every got here out with a novel proof stage — so bottles are hand-labeled to point the precise ABV between 65.1 p.c and 74.4 p.c.
The bottle I sampled was a sturdy 145.9 proof, nevertheless it drank a lot smoother than that. You need to be very cautious to not bury your nostril within the glass lest you singe your nostril hairs, however with just a few drops of water and a mild sniff, aromas of candy cinnamon and darkish chocolate reveal themselves.
Slightly than the anticipated tropical fruit notes that Jack Daniel’s yeast pressure normally imparts, this rye was extra black cherry. Somebody on the tasting Zoom name I attended talked about a Cherry Coke, and all of a sudden lots of heads started to nod in settlement. That was a terrific descriptor.
At such a excessive proof and such a very long time in oak, I’d have anticipated a extra tannic end, nevertheless it remained candy and balanced till the smoke and char of the barrel lastly light away to the sting of the tongue. If you happen to’ve by no means been fortunate sufficient to go to a spirits warehouse to “thieve” whiskey immediately from a barrel, this single-barrel, uncut rye is about as shut as you may get.
And it’s spectacular! It’s best to be capable of discover 700-milliliter bottles on native retailer cabinets in roughly $80 vary, however keep in mind to test the bottle as proof values will range enormously. Cheers!
