For a long time, Jack Daniel’s basically sold one product: Old No. 7 Tennessee Whiskey. But over the last two decades, the historic distillery has been innovating and expanding its portfolio with a range of new expressions.
One of its most sought-after new releases is the experimental small batch Jack Daniel’s Distillery Series. (It started in 2018 under the “Tennessee Tasters’ Selection” moniker and later became the “Distillery Series” in 2022 shortly after Chris Fletcher assumed the role of master distiller.) For the sixteenth and latest addition to the collection, Jack Daniel’s just released a Tennessee Rye Whiskey finished in barrels that previously held table syrup and bottled at barrel proof.
The base of this expression is the brand’s proprietary rye whiskey, which is made from a mash bill of 70 percent rye, 18 percent corn, and 12 percent malted barley. After distillation, the spirit goes through the so-called Lincoln County process in which it’s filtered through 10 feet of sugar maple charcoal. (This is a mandatory step in producing Tennessee Whiskey.) The liquor is then aged in charred new American oak barrels for nearly five years. What makes this whiskey special is that it’s then aged for a final three years in barrels that previously held table syrup…