Jack Daniel’s Special Release coy Hill Barrelhouse 8 (2024)
Abandon all hope, ye (low proofers) who enter here. This is not a Tennessee whiskey to be trifled with.
I’ll be straight: Jack Daniel’s has done it again. A brand that arguably just a few years ago was perhaps stagnant (or, let’s say was seen as stagnant, despite the changes and experiments clearly underfoot), has put out another banger of a limited release. This third edition of the Coy Hill releases (first came the single barrel in 2021 then the batches in 2022) doesn’t reach quite the proof heights of either the first or second release, but I’d argue it’s a finer, more finalized product, too.
When the first bottles of Coy Hill rolled out - with a bottle redesign necessitated by the high proof - people went bananas. Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel Tennessee Whiskey had always tended towards the higher proofs, maybe 125-132, with a few hitting higher, but these started at 137+. For a proof hound like I, they were irresistible, and being single barrels they were even more interesting. Additionally, for a reason I still cannot ascertain, Jack Daniel’s didn’t bother making a fuss about the fact that these barrels were also over nine years old.
That being said…if you’re someone who believed the ink color of the written proof mattered in how the barrel was, reevaluate your logic.
The second release was a batched release using barrels that were short or otherwise unfit for the single barrels, leading to five batches (each with a different proof) in 375ml bottles that were also redesigned for proofs that, at the highest, were 155 and change. I didn’t think these batches were as good as the single barrels. While powerful, maybe something was lost in the blending, as the flavor lacked balance and mouthfeel. That is, if you could still feel your mouth at that proof.
Now on to this, the third release. The latest expression in the Single Barrel Special Release series is bottled at barrel strength with proofs ranging from 122 to 137.5. For the purposes of this review, my sample was at 134.7 proof (67.35% ABV). There are a few notable differences in this, such as the product returning to a single barrel release rather than a small batch. These single barrels were also filled in September 2023, making them over 10 years old!
The most intriguing one, though, is the barrel placement. The barrels used in the first two releases were stored at the apex of the Coy Hill barrelhouses, quite literally shoved into the triangle at the top of the top-most floors, where they were subjected to intense heat, climate changes, and more. In this third release, the barrels are coming from floors five and six of the barrelhouse 8, still high to be sure but not the attic-on-floor-nine high. The result is a surprisingly delicate balance for something so proof-heavy.
Don’t get me wrong…put your nose too close to the glass or take too big a sip and you’ll feel it for several minutes. The fruitiness, that of orchard fruits fresh off the tree, mingles with a delightful unicorn toast (toast slathered in cinnamon honey butter), inserting baking spices before fresh-ground coffee adds a rounded bitterness that counters both sweetness and proof. Barrel char is a lovely paintbrush all its own with a mahogany maple syrup color and just enough astringency to lend body. The Coy Hill power is still there, polished into something more than its sheer might.
As a final point, the price is ridiculous. If you find it at MSRP or even twice that, I’d consider it a massive bargain. I know that it will likely hit secondary markets and unfriendly stores in the hundreds of dollars, and at that point I would say take a flyer and check your bank statements before buying. Jack Daniel Distillery and Brown-Forman have only the most cursory control over pricing - and I say that as someone who regularly asks brands to do more to control prices - so a cask strength, nearly 11-year-old single barrel at $79.99 is a gift to those who can find it and those who can handle it.
Don’t look a gift fire in the mouth.
Thank you to Jack Daniel’s and FINN Partners for providing this sample free of charge. All opinions are my own.
Jack Daniel’s Special Release coy Hill Barrelhouse 8 (2024): Specs
Classification: Tennessee Whiskey
Producer: Jack Daniel Distillery
Mashbill: 80% Corn, 12% Rye, 8% Malted Barley
Proof: 134.7 (65.35% ABV)
Age: NAS (~10 Years 11 Months Old)
Location: Tennessee
Jack Daniel’s Special Release Coy Hill Barrelhouse 8 (2024) MSRP: $79.99
Jack Daniel’s Special Release coy Hill Barrelhouse 8 (2024): Tasting Notes
Eye: Dark mahogany maple syrup. Barely-there rims with no legs, expected at this proof.
Nose: Powerful, though not flowing out of the glencairn. Spice-studded red fruit fresh off the tree, plenty of proof without being overwhelming. Unicorn toast, tons of cinnamon sugar. No fresh banana - it’s all caramelized and flambeed, decadent and delicious.
Palate: Red fruit and fresh ground coffee, plums and apples and cherries with a slight burnt edge from the coffee notes. Proof makes itself known but doesn’t distract from the full-bodied flavors. The dark cherry starts to dominate as astringency builds slowly. Mouthfeel is heavy without becoming syrupy, coating and creamy, pleasant burn on the front half of my tongue. Barrel char is dark and sweet, mulled wine and blossoming spices.
Finish: A bitter edge cuts the sweetness of the fruit and, somehow, also elbows into the proof enough to distract the taste buds and allow more flavor to come through. The finish latches on to the front half of my tongue like a lacquer. Stays balanced while letting the spicy and fruity sides last on a long finish.
Overall: Uniquely balanced for something of this proof. The Coy Hill power is still there, with tones of fresh red fruits studded with baking spices and a bitter edge from coffee-like notes. Reminiscent of some of the best single barrels from the first round in 2021. A definite buy at 1-2x MSRP.
Final Rating: 7.8
10 | Insurpassable | Nothing Else Comes Close
9 | Incredible | Extraordinary
8 | Excellent | Exceptional
7 | Great | Well above average
6 | Very Good | Better than average
5 | Good | Good, solid, ordinary
4 | Has promise but needs work
1-3 | Let’s have a conversation
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