Jack Daniels Single Barrel Barrel Proof Rye

Review by: Raygun

Had a couple of JD barrel proof bourbon selections, but not a rye before. This barrel was a Total Wine pick; I’m not sure from when. JD rye uses a mashbill of 70% rye, 18% corn, and 12% malted barley. No age, distillation date, or other such information, but these single barrels are reputed to be mostly 6-8 years old. Reviewed from a sample. Rested about 10 minutes.

Distillery: Jack Daniels  

Bottler/Brand: Jack Daniels  

Region/style: Tennessee rye whiskey

ABV: 65.7%. 

Age: Not stated but said to be 6-8 years for the most part 

Cask type: New oak    

Color: 1.7 burnt umber

Price: Around $70

Nose: Hot. Not an overly spicy rye. Bananas, caraway, and vanilla are the main drivers. Pretty oaky.      

Palate: Hot again, but brings more rye flavor. Nice vanilla sweetness, but more spice. Caraway, cloves, orange zest, and pink peppercorns. Mellows nicely with some water, bringing out more vanilla and citrus.   

Finish: Vanilla, bananas, and some maple syrup. Spice is more cinnamon and clove, but there’s still the pink peppercorns. Little hint of orange. Again does well with water.       

Conclusion: Tasty stuff. About on par with JD barrel proof bourbon. Not rocking my world, but very solid. I recently came across a different barrel proof pick, but decided I’d pass because I hadn’t had it before. Now I know I wouldn’t have regretted it if I’d bought it, but I’m also fine with having passed it up.

Score: 83

Scoring Legend:

  • 95-100: As good as it gets. Jaw-dropping, eye-widening, unforgettable whisky.
  • 90-94: Sublime, a personal favorite in its category. (Blanton’s Straight from the Barrel)
  • 85-89: Excellent, a standout dram. (Stagg Jr batch 12)
  • 80-84: Quite good. Quality stuff. (Elijah Craig Barrel Proof (new))
  • 75-79: Decent whisky worth tasting. (Pikesville Rye)
  • 70-74: Meh. It’s definitely drinkable, but it can do better. (Wild Turkey 101)
  • 60-69: Not so good. I might not turn down a glass if I needed a drink. (Maker’s Mark)
  • 50-59: Save it for mixing. (Old Grandad 114)
  • 0-49: Blech. (High West Yippee-ki-yay)

Published by Raygun

Unknown's avatar

I drank Scotch occasionally (mostly at family gatherings) for years, but started getting more interested after an introduction and tasting from a Scottish acquaintance. That led to buying my first bottle (Highland Park 12). Now 600+ spirits later, Scotch is still my first love, but I drink other whisky and dabble in brandy as well.

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