Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel Special Release Tanyard Hill Rye

ReviewsAmerican WhiskeyTennesseeJack DanielsRye

Nov 9

Anyone still think Jack Daniel’s is just about the Old No. 7 and maybe some Gentleman Jack?

I’ve loved Jack’s rye since my first taste of the Tennessee Tasters Rye release in 2019 (#4 in the series). Sweet, spicy, full-bodied, completely in left field from anything I’d had of Jack before - it’s one of the few bottles of which I genuinely wish an unlimited supply.

Then came the 2020 Limited Edition Special Release Single Barrel, which built upon the Tennessee Tasters with an additional year or two of aging. Three years later I was picking barrels on-site with my friends.

In the meantime, Jack Daniel’s released two editions of Coy Hill Tennessee Whiskey (really one, explanation in a moment). These hazmat beasts made the social media rounds, simply exploding. My preference was for the first release, which were single barrels, over the second, which were five batches made from the leftovers of the first release. Coy Hill required redesigned corks and bottles, as the proof was so high it would pop regular closures off the top.

Now, Jack Daniel’s single barrel barrel strength Tennessee whiskey had been around for a few years, and pattern-wise it was clear that the Tennessee whiskey innovations were presaging those of the ryes. Tennessee Taster rye was 127.6 proof, and the 2020 releases were all in the high 120s-low 130s in proof. Single barrels might reach the mid-130s, but never hazmat. But somehow, I knew this was coming.

From a marketing perspective, I love that Jack Daniel’s kept up with focusing on the location, first Coy Hill, now Tanyard Hill. It brings an extra note to the release, some significance (whether real or devised) of being on top of the hill. The top-of-the-warehouse on the highest hill on Jack’s property worked for Coy Hill, why not Tanyard?

As much as I’ve loved the Jack Daniel’s ryes - and I don’t think anything, including the barrels I picked, will surpass the Tennessee Tasters release - this was next level good. Booms of flavor from nose to finish, hitting at all levels like a well-tuned symphony. No question this is a powerhouse - it’s been years since a whiskey made my eyes water - but to be such a powerful whiskey and so precisely calibrated is nothing short of masterful.

I could leave it there, but I want to add on. Keep in mind, though I am lucky enough to get samples to try, neither Jack Daniel’s nor Brown-Forman are sponsors, and opinions remain my own.

Each time I get one of these releases, even the ones I don’t fawn over, I am more and more impressed by their willingness to expand beyond their core. Jack and BF could easily sit on the Old No. 7 that reaches 170+ countries and every U.S. military base around the world and be perfectly fine. These bottlings aren’t for wide consumption, they’re for the die-hard fans and whiskey enthusiasts. Without any intent to demean, the average or everyday drinker isn’t hunting high-proof-to-hazmats like this. How many companies, whiskey or otherwise, are doing fan service year after year like this?

Maybe it’s my palate (it’s surely my palate), and I know there are other gigantic whiskey companies doing annual out-there releases. I’m thinking Woodford Reserve’s Masters Collection, Wild Turkey Master’s Keep, Heaven Hill Parker’s Heritage Collection, among others. There’s innovation and experimentation and heritage, but I wouldn’t call it fan service. And yes, I recognize the PHC has an alternative purpose in raising funds for ALS, and won’t take anything away from that.

Jack Daniel’s is the only one of these that every single year I will search out no matter what. And when I’m down to buying maybe a bottle a month, probably fewer, it’s rare for me to add an entry in my Notes app under “bottles I really want.”

This sample was provided by Jack Daniel’s at no cost. All opinions are my own.

Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel Special Release Tanyard Hill Rye: Specs

Classification: Tennessee Straight Rye Whiskey

Producer: Jack Daniel’s Distillery

Mashbill: 70% Rye, 18% Corn, and 12% Malted Barley

Proof: 145.9º (72.95% ABV)

Age: ~9 Years (website notes “nearly a decade” and “barreled in 2015”)

Location: Tennessee

Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel Special Release Tanyard Hill Rye Price: $79.99

Official Website

Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel Special Release Tanyard Hill Rye: Tasting Notes

Eye: Reddish-brown, like old wood. Very thin rims and tiny droplets.

Nose: Proof straight up the nostrils followed by that singular Jack Daniel’s rye sweetness. Hard vanilla and cream soda. The proof is eye-watering. Maple sugar, sassafras, sweetened black licorice. Brown sugar and fresh and glace cherries.

Palate: Powerful, not overwhelming (if only just!), heat hits the mid-tongue and goes forward from there, adding pepper and sweet/baking spice-spiked brown sugar on the tip of my tongue. Cherries and plums, red stone fruits abound. Mouthfeel pulls back on the heat, sharp nutmeg and cinnamon chai pepper blends. Coating and oily, also effervescent because of teh heat. Front-tongue heavy.

Finish: Dark chocolate with cherries or dried currants, brownies with dark chocolate chips and a dusting of confectioner’s sugar. Thins just a bit without detracting from the pour. Medium-long finish.

Overall: Damn that’s powerful! Proof, flavor, not much oak (surprising for 9+ years near the top of a rickhouse), but the embodiment of the color in the glass. I want a bottle of this immediately. It’s been quite some time since a whiskey made my eyes water. A step a bove the best single barrels I’ve had of the ryes so far and a must-have for anyone who enjoys Jack Daniel’s rye.