Jack Daniel's Single Barrel Rye

Rating: 15/23 I just filed my taxes, so I figured I should open something new to celebrate. Not something super expensive, mind you, since I just had to pay the IRS a boat-load of dollars, but something decently nice that I haven't tried before. Jack Daniel's seemed like the all-American answer to my conundrum of what to go with. thought that the regular rye was a little better than Old No. 7 and thought that the Single Barrel Tennessee whiskey was solid. I'm hoping that this will be a bit better than the single barrel Tennessee whiskey. I have little hope of it matching Jack Daniel's Single Barrel Barrel Proof Tennesse whiskey, but we'll see. N: Mmmm! This smells really hedonistic - just what I was looking for. There's this bold - but not flat - woody layer up front. Coming out of it are plenty of spices and some green banana. Hints of minerals for sure, but they don't make it seem lighter. There's a lot of interesting must from the wood. Digging in deeper, I get some bitter herbal and sour green apple. Not the most complex nose overall, but it has a great wood foundation and smells really nice. P: Thinner than I'd hoped, but not bad. The minerals do hit me a lot here. The wood plays a lesser roles and the banana and green apple are sweeter than expected. There's some nice nuance in the wood, but the flavor is lighter than I'd like. At some point toward the late palate, I start getting vanilla. There are some spicy herbs throughout, but they're light. There's a bit of rich caramel as well in here. Very faint creosote at times too. F: Green banana, green apple, herbal spice, light minerals, faint wood. - Conclusion - I love the nose; it's just unfortunate that the palate is so thin and light. Where are those bold flavors that the nose promised me? This could be called elegant for sure, but at 47% ABV, it's somehow still watery. The flavors are all so good, but they just aren't concentrated enough. Perhaps cutting some Jack Daniel's Single Barrel Barrel Proof (21/23) with this could produce a tasty dram that gives me my rye fix.. Woodinville Rye (15/23) has a flatter, less interesting profile, but it's substantially less thin, despite being slightly lower proof. Coming back to this, the banana tastes kind of like candy and there just isn't enough body here. It really pains me that the proof is so low here because this is otherwise an awesome whiskey. As much as I want to say that this is better, it's just so thin that I don't think I can. This seems to be a pretty fair matchup for Elijah Craig Small Batch (a low 15/23). Evan Williams Single Barrel (14/23) also seems pretty close, but I'd say that this is definitely the better of the two. Based on these side-by-sides, this is going to be a 14 or 15. I think I'm leaning just a bit more toward a 15. What kills me is that I think that this would be an awesome dram at 60% ABV - probably solid competition for Jack Daniel's Single Barrel Barrel Proof. To think that they could have sold a much better version of this for just 30% more...

Bought two half bottles that came with a little plaque saying they were specially selected by Assistant Distiller Lexie Phillips. Sounds impressive. N: Cherry, banana, charcoal, cinnamon, touch of Christmas spice, toasted and salted almonds, and a bit more ethanol that I might have hoped for. P: Cherry, banana, rye grain, sweet oak, sweet corn, some soft herbal tea notes, baked white bread, unsweetened breakfast cereal, some spice and some burn. Nice, full, almost chewy mouthfeel. F: Banana, caramel, char, oak, maybe some chocolate, faint roast coffee, firewood, touch of ethanol. Very solid rye, but I think it maybe hues too close to the regular JD. I'm not sure how they work that classic banana note in, but they do. Doesn't feel like a rye flavor - have to assume it comes from their process then. The banana works nicely in Old No. 7 or even the Gentleman Jack, but it brings out a harshness in the rye that's not as nice of a pairing. That's not to say it's bad - it really isn't. I enjoyed this and would certainly buy it again, but I think there are better ryes out there. This is one is a bit unique though - uniquely Jack. ____________ Please come join an unofficial Distiller community on Discord (now one whole year old!): https://discord.gg/VSmCvzAQfH. We chat spirits (and other things) in real time while being a great resource to each other for recommendations, finding deals, and generally enjoying the journey together. (If the link is expired (it shouldn't be), please post a comment and I will gladly provide a new one.)

Half pint, comes with decorative pewter plaque stating “Specialty Selected by Lexie A. Phillips Assistant Distiller 2021.” Barrel house 2-25, barrel #22-01672, bottles 2.18.22. Amber-red in color with a thin appearance. The nose evolves like a go stopper of sorts. At first it’s all prickly oak, caraway, pepper and signature bananas foster - maybe with a side of pie crust. Over time there are bits of spearmint and eucalyptus, tobacco, caramel. The palate is equally interesting and leans heavily toward tannic territory with the oak (somewhat of a toasted profile - EC toasted in particular) but still plenty of pastry, banana and earthy notes to stay at least partly balanced. There are some younger grain notes in there as well but rye far outweighs corn. Proof drinks like it should be 115, while in reality it’s 94. The rye spice and heavier oak make this a more bitter departure from the bananas-foster, clove and marshmallow bomb of their barrel strength. It’s solid on its own and would likely make an unbelievably good Boulevardier. I wouldn’t spring for this over Willett 4y, Rare Breed rye or Russel’s Single barrel rye. Kicker is that I can get the 375ml size for $25 to taste and play around with and not be out much. Overall satisfied with this particular barrel and figure others are +/- but probably won’t rebuy unless it really opens up over its foreseeably short lifespan.

Color/Presentation: 5/5 Nose: 21/25 Palate: 29/40 Finish: 13/20 Value: 8/10 Total: 76/100 A unique rye in an amazing package. Sweet with spice on the back, this is perfect for those who aren’t the biggest fan of overly spicy ryes (or any spice at all). This rye falls flat with the disconnect between the nose and whats brought to the palate. I found my nose was glued to the glass taking in all of the fruit, spice, and caramel that creates one of the most enticing aromas I have encountered. Upon taking a sip, those notes are found on the palate, however in an aggressively light manner. It almost feels watered down. I’m assuming a BP offering would fix this. However it does make for an incredible easy sipper, always enticing you to drink more and try to pick out the bold notes encountered on the nose. All in all, this is a good rye at an excellent price in an amazing package. I don’t think I will run out and grab another, but I can hardly say it wasn’t worth the price.

This is an extremely pleasant rye. I was fortunate enough to buy a 375 mL bottle for $15. On the nose, you do not get a heavy rye prescence, but instead light, vanilla, caramel, and fruit notes. The palette is where the rye becomes more prevalent as there’s a very nice rice spice that coats, and the herbal notes that many ryes bring becomes present. This is only a 94 proof rye but it very much coats the pallet well and provides a lingering space and warming feeling. I’m quite impressed with this bottle and 3 1/2 stars could probably get bumped up overtime.

Nose on the first pour from the bottle is a fruity ethanol. Appears viscous in the glass, but mouthfeel is a bit thinner than expected. Not bad, and not thin, just thinner than it looks. Nice mellow flavors on the palate. Long, spicy rye finish. 8/1/22 - Nose seems sweeter than the first go round, otherwise nothing new to report. Very easy going sipper, and makes a fantastic Old Fashioned. I’d like to try the Special Release version of this one someday.