Light rye spice | Honey | Maple | Light charcoal | Toasted vanilla almonds | Bananas flambe | Predominantly sweet scents

Big ripe banana | Rye grain | Toasted oak | Vanilla | Light peppercorn spice

Dash of banana | Rye spice | Dry oak | Leather | White peppercorn | Building spice | Lingering

While double oaked bourbons have become more common in the last few years, the number of double oaked ryes hitting the market is still scarce in comparison. It’s exciting to see a major distillery in Tennessee play in this space, even if this initial run is relegated to their Distillery Series. The company states in its press release that “Jack Daniel’s Distillery Series Toasted Barrel Finished Rye is a Straight Tennessee Rye Whiskey originally barreled Summer 2014 and then re-barreled in high-toast, no char oak barrels in October 2019.” The release will only be offered in 375mL bottles and will be available at White Rabbit Bottle Shop at the Jack Daniel Distillery and in select stores in Tennessee.

The sip starts off with a nose full of pleasing sweeter aromas that highlight its time in the high-toast finishing barrels and effortlessly draws you in. An enjoyable palate highlights rye grain, spice, oak, and has a strong focus on ripe banana notes. The sip ends with an additional dash of banana and a concoction of spices. Well-formed overall, you have to really be a lover of the typical banana note found in so many Jack Daniel’s products to enjoy this, as it takes a predominant role throughout the whiskey. If you’re not a fan of this note, it may be hard for you to get behind this rye. Overall, the Distillery Series releases are a fun way for Jack Daniel’s to experiment and bring more atypical offerings to the table, and I’m all for it.