Jack Daniel’s Coy Hill Barrelhouse 8 Whiskey Review

Few individual whiskey limited releases of the last few years have caused quite the level of splash that Jack Daniel’s Coy Hill did when its first two batches burst onto the scene in 2021 and 2022. Put simply, most drinkers had never seen anything like this out of Brown-Forman in the past, and certainly not with the broadly accessible Jack Daniel’s brand most famous for the 80 proof shelf staple Old No. 7. The Coy Hill High Proof releases shattered all previous associations of the limits of “cask strength” for the brand, blowing straight past “hazmat” and into uncharted territory. Most of the batches landed in the mid-to-high 140 proof range, while a couple even breezed to numbers like 153.2 and 155.1 proof! We are talking rocket fuel, here.

And oh, what a stir those bottles caused. Reviewers praised the intense, concentrated flavors. Secondary market pricing soared to absolutely absurd levels, and retailer price gouging followed. The Coy Hill High Proof releases became some of the most sought-after bottles to ever bear the Jack Daniel’s name on them, as the entire American whiskey “proof hound” community collectively lost its mind.

Now the series is back, but we must note that there have been some small changes here. The 2024 release of this whiskey is designated as Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel Special Release Coy Hill Barrelhouse 8, and one will note that the words “high proof” technically do not appear. This is still a cask strength Tennessee whiskey series, and the proofs are definitely still high, but they’re no longer stratospheric or hazmat in nature. These single barrel expressions, according to the distillery, are bottled at proofs ranging from 122 to 137.5, from the traditional Jack Daniel’s Tennessee whiskey mash bill. They were barreled on the fifth and sixth floors of the Coy Hill Barrelhouse 8 in Sept. of 2013, putting this likely age statement (they oddly do not specify) somewhere over 10 years. As in previous releases in the series, this high point in the distillery’s highest elevation rickhouse leads to more water evaporation and higher overall proofs.

But with that said … I can hear the faint whiskey geek gnashing of teeth from here. I think it’s safe to say that no matter how good this expression might be, there’s going to be a proof hound contingent that is borderline furious that Brown-Forman is putting out another Coy Hill release without proof points in the 140s and 150s. Those guys need their rocket fuel, and I can already hear their insistence that this release is just a pale imitation of the “real” Coy Hill bottles from 2021 and 2022. I can only assume that the folks at Brown-Forman are aware of this segment, and removed the “high proof” portion of this expression’s name for that reason, so as to not appear to be promising the exact same experience. Presumably, this Coy Hill is meant to offer a slightly more approachable version of that same flavor intensity. Regardless, my own sample of this whiskey weighs in at a still quite sturdy 134.7 proof, and carries a $80 MSRP that will probably be much higher than that if you encounter it in person.

So with that said, let’s taste this bombastic, high-octane expression of Jack Daniel’s.

On the nose, the 2024 Coy Hill Barrelhouse 8 displays intense (but sweet) oakiness and very deeply caramelized sugars, evocative of molasses and toasted panela sugar of the sort you’d find in Latin America. I’m also getting gingerbread and a more savory mint/rye combo, along with cooked blackberry and considerable sweetness. There’s definitely some of the heat you’re no doubt expecting as well, although 15 minutes or so in the glass helps the ethanol to largely blow off.

On the palate, the first thing that comes to mind is that the trademark Jack Daniel’s banana note has reemerged here in flambeed fashion, coupled with deep caramels, vanilla and sweet oak. The oak has a very luxuriously sweet dimension to it, although it occasionally dips a toe into a more tart, woody dimension as well. Quite sweet and concentrated overall, though, this displays syrupy dark fruit and roasted desert banana, with loads of brown sugar, pepper and waves of oak that are both sweetly charred and a little dusty. The heat is sturdy, but never really anywhere close to overwhelming. Personally, I tend to prefer cask strength whiskey in the 115-130 proof range, but this one is never too aggressive. Throughout the whole experience, it’s the sweetness really carrying it through to the finish line.

All in all, this 2024 Coy Hill expression is undeniably flavor packed, benefitting greatly from not just its advanced proof but also a very mature age statement that gives it a depth of oaky complexity. It might not burn your face off in quite the same manner as the last two expressions that carried the Coy Hill name, but it’s still a decadent treat all the same.

Distillery: Jack Daniel’s (Brown-Forman)
City: Lynchburg, TN
Style: Tennessee whiskey
ABV: 67.35% (134.7 proof)
Availability: Limited, 750 ml bottles, $80 MSRP

Jim Vorel is a Paste staff writer and resident brown liquor geek. You can follow him on Twitter for more drink writing.