Jack Daniel’s Twice Barreled Heritage Barrel Rye Whiskey Review

It’s funny to think that only a few years ago, most of us whiskey industry observers would have still been ignorant of the difference between charred and “toasted” barrels. And it’s not as if toasting barrels was necessarily a brand new concept at that point, either–a number of major producers had always employed some form of toasting, followed by charring, which actually does not destroy the toast profile as one might inherently expect. It’s just that back then, barrel toasting was seen as a secondary technique, and hadn’t yet been harnessed as a process to base entire releases around, much less the marketing for those releases. Obviously, this has since changed–toasted barrels are everywhere these days, and modern cooperages such as the West Virginia Great Barrel Company are exploring new boundaries in how science can create and control new toast profiles. Industry powerhouse Brown-Forman likewise produces its own barrels at cooperages, and has always toasted before charring, making this a key aspect of the company’s classical flavor profile. And that’s even true for brands like the ubiquitous Jack Daniel’s.

Now, the proprietary toasts in any given Brown-Forman barrel might not be immediately obvious in any given bottle of off-the-rack Jack Daniel’s, but they’re certainly highly visible in the company’s newest (somewhat awkwardly titled) special release: Jack Daniel’s Twice Barreled Special Release Heritage Barrel Rye. This mouthful is the newest member of the company’s Single Barrel Special Release collection, featuring the company’s Tennessee rye whiskey aged initially in newly charred American white oak before being finished in “high-toast heritage barrels.”

And when they say “finished” in this sense, this is not some quick dip of a secondary maturation. After five years of initial maturation, this rye spends another full two years in those “heavy toast” heritage barrels from the Jack Daniel Cooperage. Clearly, the company wants to make sure there’s no way of missing the extra shot of toasted barrel character this is sure to infuse into the finished product. That product is bottled at a sturdy 50% ABV (100 proof), at an MSRP of $75, receiving a nationwide limited release this month.

“Our lightly charred and heavily toasted Heritage Barrels showcase the expertise of our cooperage and elevate innovation through the barrel making process,” said Chris Fletcher, Jack Daniel’s Master Distiller in a press statement. “Our unique barrel toasting process and rye grain bill work together to create an extraordinary rye whiskey that marries sweetness with spice.”

So with that said, let’s get to tasting and see how these toasted barrels affect this Tennessee rye.

Before even raising the glass, one thing leaps out at you: This rye really seems to have sucked up a lot of additional color during that secondary maturation. Interacting with the heavy toast barrel certainly looks like it reenergized the aging process, giving this one a deep rust, almost garnet shade. It would be hard to get that shade from a single barrel alone.

On the nose, this immediately presents as especially rich for rye whiskey. I’m getting tons of baking spice and a gently toasted oaky nose, with huge cinnamon in particular. This is nothing like “hot cinnamon,” I should highlight–it’s sweet cinnamon sugar and hints of allspice. Big caramel sweetness and spice dominates the nose, partially obscuring distant rye grassiness and hints of engaging herbal/tobacco notes. It’s also quite buttery, which is an interesting characteristic for Jack Daniel’s. This smells pretty decadent, and it’s clearly gotten a ton of character out of the toasted barrels, though I wonder if perhaps it’s masked the rye whiskey base just a little bit too much to let them both shine.

On the palate, this rye projects a lovely spice, but it’s far more in the baking spice/Christmas spices canon than in the more traditional rye spice realm, at least at first. I’m getting heavy toasted oak, which also contributes modest drying tannins–good to see, as some toasted barrel whiskeys can get unpleasantly tannic quickly. There are some nice herbal and grassy rye notes beneath it, though you’re searching through waves of brown sugar and butterscotch to get there. Over time, the rye character does begin emerging more, evoking buttered rye toast and some tobacco, with hints of cocoa and tons of spicy oak. Sweet and spicy is the name of the game here.

At the end of the day, this release will appeal heavily to those who want to experience the best types of flavors–especially baking spice–that are projected by toasted barrels when things go right. At the same time, though, other consumers may find that the rye whiskey at the heart of the experiment has been overwhelmed at least a little by the infusion of new flavors. I would have been alright with a slightly more judicious touch, but it’s still a nice dram regardless.

Distillery: Jack Daniel’s
City: Lynchburg, TN
Style: Tennessee rye whiskey
ABV: 50% (100 proof)
Availability: Limited, 700 ml bottles, $75 MSRP

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