Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel Heritage Barrel Tennessee Whiskey
If being the best-selling American Whiskey in the world wasn’t enough, Jack Daniel’s also boasts one of the largest and most diverse limited/special edition collections of any distillery in the world. Some are simply Jack Daniel’s Old No. 7 in a fancier package, some are bumped up a bit in proof. Many are historical, marking anniversaries (repeal of Prohibition, Tennessee bicentennial), features of the state (River Boat Captain, Silver Cornet), co-brandings with celebrities and establishments (Eric Church, Red Dog Saloon). The sheer volume is enormous - and that’s not including the holiday and non-whiskey releases.
Not all are worth seeking out, and I say that having tried but a fraction of them. With rare exceptions, if it’s just a packaging difference or a relatively minor change, I don’t put much effort into the chase. The Heritage Barrel, however, is exactly the type of limited edition I want. Something that shows a different profile, a unique technique, and introduces something new to the line - even if that something new is really something old.
Released in 2018 and 2019, the Jack Daniel’s Heritage Barrel brought back “heritage” aging techniques, including a heavy toast for the barrel and a low entry proof (100º). The barrels were then aged at the top floors of Warehouse 01-09 on Coy Hill - the same warehouse Jack Daniel’s Coy Hill High Proof would come from just two years later (well, one of them…warehouse 13 is also a Coy Hill High Proof source).
Unlike the Coy Hill release and the 2020 Barrel Proof Rye, I was worried about this release’s proof. Sure, reviews from friends and trusted sources were near universally positive, but I’m a proof hound, especially when it comes to Brown-Forman. Could this be the rare low-proof (for me) American whiskey that met or exceeded my expectations? Or would it struggle, falling short in a sea of watered-down flavors despite its promise?
I tried this after the Coy Hill and Barrel Proof Rye on a separate occasion - I tell you this only because had I tried this first I might have had different expectations that focused less on the proof. I also tell you this because my expectations were met, exceeded, and exceeded again.
Packed with flavor, drinking 10-15 points above its proof, and showcasing a crazy-good toasting technique, this is an absolute blast of a bottle. There are plenty of other “toasted” products out there, but this isn’t finishing in a toasted barrel, it’s aging in a heavily toasted barrel that was then charred. Michter’s does this too, toasting all of their barrels, though from the wording it seems the Jack Daniel’s barrel is more toasted than a normal Michter’s would be.
Interestingly, whereas a toasted finish tends to add marshmallowy notes and graham crackers, none of that is present here. What the toasted barrel adds, I can’t say, though there’s a complexity to the oak that’s noticeably above the bar. Maybe that’s it, or maybe it’s something else. Whatever it is, the toasting contributes to an excellent whiskey that set the standard for those special releases to follow.
Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel Heritage Barrel Tennessee Whiskey: Specs
Classification: Tennessee Straight Whiskey
Origin: Jack Daniell’s Distillery
Mashbill: 80% Corn, 12% Malted Barley, 8% Rye
Proof: 100 (50% ABV)
Age: Varies by Bottle
Location: Tennessee
Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel Heritage Barrel Tennessee Whiskey Price: $69.99
Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel Heritage Barrel Tennessee Whiskey Review: Tasting Notes
Eye: Rich amber maple. Thin rims and small droplet legs.
Nose: Delicious, though I’m not sure what the first scent is (whatever it is is intoxicating). Candied, like the 2020 rye but less sweet and more corn-forward. An old fashioned with expressed orange peel.
Palate: Again, candied, but clear and excellent Jack Daniel’s (and Brown-Forman, for that matter) flavor. Drinks closer to 115 proof, way above its weight, with oak spice and hot caramel. Damn that’s good. Mouthfeel is hot, but bearable, filling without being coating. Cloves, orange zest, sea salt caramels and Runts. Profile is excellent and evolving at each step.
Finish: Medium-length and filling. The Runts flavor explodes under the tongue.
Overall: First off, you don’t mind the lower proof at all - in fact you won’t notice it at all. Second, what a profile. If the Coy Hill is Jack Daniel’s at its most powerful, this is Jack at its most elegant. Breaking right out of its restraints to a full-flavor bomb that doesn’t need to blow your palate away to wow.
Final Rating: 8.1
10 | Insurpassable | Nothing Else Comes Close (Elijah Craig Barrel Proof Old Label Batch 4 or 2, Blanton’s Straight from the Barrel)
9 | Incredible | Extraordinary (GTS, Elijah Craig Barrel Proof B518 and B520)
8 | Excellent | Exceptional (Stagg Jr. Batch 10, Highland Park Single Barrels)
7 | Great | Well above average (Blanton’s Original, Old Weller Antique, Booker’s)
6 | Very Good | Better than average (Four Roses Small Batch Select, Knob Creek 14+ YO Picks)
5 | Good | Good, solid, ordinary (Elijah Craig Small Batch, Buffalo Trace, Old Grand-Dad Bottled-in-Bond)
4 | Has promise but needs work
1-3 | Let’s have a conversation
