Jack Daniel's Single Barrel Rye is an American rye whiskey from the Jack Daniel's distillery in Lynchburg, Tennessee, based on a grain blend dominated by rye. The whiskey draws its flavour from a recipe containing 70% rye – the distillery's first new mash bill since before Prohibition.
The spirit was created by then master distiller Jeff Arnett, using a mash bill of 70% rye, 18% corn and 12% malted barley, along with the same cave spring water, proprietary yeast and charcoal filtration process found in the 150-year-old Tennessee Whiskey recipe. It is precisely this charcoal mellowing process that sets the distillery's style apart from classic Kentucky ryes. The whiskey matures in 53-gallon barrels with a level four char (char 4). Every bottle comes from a single barrel, which means natural variation between individual batches.
In the aroma and flavour profile it is striking that the high rye content does not translate into the typical, sharp pepperiness. The nose is dominated by notes of banana and vanilla cream, with rye pepperiness and light hints of tropical fruit, while the palate offers a dry, oaky profile with rye, brown sugar and a set of warming spices – cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg. The finish brings back the sweeter notes of banana and vanilla along with caramel, oak, rye and a touch of black pepper.
Characteristic of this version is the balance between sweetness and spice. The recipe of 70% rye, 18% corn and 12% malted barley gives the whiskey a clean, sweet tone on the tip of the tongue and a more pronounced, slightly shorter finish than other expressions from the Single Barrel collection. Jack Daniel's Single Barrel Rye reached the market in February 2016 as part of the Single Barrel collection, following the earlier Single Barrel Select and Barrel Proof releases.