Editor’s Note: This whiskey was provided to us as a review sample by the party behind it. This in no way, per our editorial policies, influenced the final outcome of this review. It should also be noted that by clicking the buy link in this review our site receives a small referral payment which helps to support, but not influence, our editorial and other costs.
Right on the heels of the 2022 releases of the Jack Daniel’s Bonded and the Jack Daniel’s Triple Mash comes a new to the bonded series: the Jack Daniel’s Bonded Rye Whiskey.
Per the distillery, and as a bit of a refresher, bonded whiskeys must be from one distillery in one distillation season. The spirit must be “aged in a federally bonded warehouse for at least four years” and bottled at 50% ABV. These requirements come from the Bottled-in-Bond Act of 1897, back when Jack Daniel’s was a spry 31-years-old as one of the first registered distilleries in the USA.
The Bottled-in-Bond Act beat the Pure Food and Drug Act by nine years, signed into law in an effort to crack down on modified spirits being passed as bourbon. These days, it’s rare to see adulterated whiskeys on shelves; most dishonest labelling instead relies on clever wording to hide the true distiller.
This bonded rye is a Tennessee whiskey, so it undergoes the mellowing process standard to all Tennessean drams. New make whiskey is filtered through sugar maple charcoal for the requisite Lincoln County Process, which filters and mellows the spirit. The charcoal is made in-house with massive bonfires lit several times a week, resulting in a rather fascinating conflagration.
Jack Daniel’s uses limestone-rich water from their natural spring on property, the Cave Spring Hollow. Limestone water adds unique minerals to the spirit as well as removing iron.
The bottle in question comes packed in the tidy Jack Daniels-box shape, with a slick green label that makes the brown spirit pop. For those keeping score at home, keep in mind that this bottle is 700ml, not the standard American size of 750ml. It is available in a limited-edition gift package that includes a standard sized Glencairn, which I highly recommend for drinking whiskeys neat, and a lapel pin with the words: DSP TN-1. This number is the federal registration for Jack Daniel’s. The letters stand for Distilled Spirits Plant Tennessee, and the 1 indicates it was the first distillery federally registered in the state.
This new bonded rye was crafted using the Jack Daniel’s regular rye whiskey mash bill of 70% rye, 18% corn, and 12% malted barley. In their press release, the distillery describes it as opening “with notes of dried fruit followed by lingering hints of toffee, imparting a bold, complex, and balanced taste with a rye spice finish.” Let’s taste.
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Tasting Notes: Jack Daniel’s Bonded Rye Whiskey
Vital Stats: Aged for at least four years in new American white oak barrels; 50% ABV, mash bill: 70% rye, 18% corn, and 12% malted barley; SRP $31.99/ 700ml bottle.
Appearance: This whiskey is golden amber in color.
Nose: This pops from the glass with aromatics of cooked cereal, baker’s yeast, and red fruits. It shows a delicate note of campfire logs left to smolder, which I attribute to the sugar maple filtering. This certainly smells like a rye, with some warm baking spice notes, but it’s a touch simple. There’s a hint of warm iron and nail polish remover, as well.
Palate: The flavor is delicate, with notes of fireball candies and simple syrup. It tastes a touch watery, but has a nice fine grain to the tannins and a crackle of energy to the burn without overwhelming the palate.
There’s a hollowed-out feeling on the finish, like plain vanilla cake baked yesterday. The finish shows notes of water crackers, uncooked pasta, and cinnamon candy. It feels a touch lacking in depth but without any off flavors. The acetone note I picked up on the nose is very mild and adds a touch of lift to the overall experience.
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