Jack Daniel’s Bonded and Jack Daniel’s Triple Mash
The Jack Daniel distillery has just announced the release of two new, permanent additions to its core range. These two expressions, Jack Daniel’s Bonded and Jack Daniel’s Triple Mash, are the brand’s first super-premium line extension in 25 years and are part of the company’s long-term strategy to “premiumize” its lineup of American whiskeys.
Jack Daniel’s is a brand of Tennessee whiskey. Produced in Lynchburg, Tennessee, it is America’s single best-selling brand of whiskey.
In its fiscal year ending April 2021, the company sold the equivalent of 29.4 million 9-liter cases of Jack Daniel’s whiskey, 12.5 million cases of Jack Daniel’s Tennessee whiskey, 12.5 million equivalent cases in the form of RTD (ready-to-drink) and RTP (ready-to-pour) products and 4.4 million equivalent cases of other Jack Daniel’s expressions. Of the latter, just under half, 2.1 million 9-liter cases, were represented by Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Honey Whiskey. Approximately two-thirds of the distillery’s output is exported to more than 170 countries.
All the expressions in Jack Daniel’s core range are based on a mash bill of 80% corn, 12% malted barley and 8% rye and undergo a seven-day fermentation. The mash is distilled in copper column stills. Following distillation, the new make spirit is filtered through 10-foot-long columns of charcoal made from local, Tennessee, sugar maple wood. The company produces all its charcoal on the premises.
The company has been owned by Brown-Forman since 1956.
Both new expressions are Bottled-in-Bond (BIB). That means they are the product of a single distillery, made in one season, are aged in a government bonded warehouse for a minimum of four years and are bottled at 100 proof (50% ABV). Each season is six months, either January to June or July to December, and is designated as “Spring” or “Fall.”
The packaging of the two expressions was, according to Master Distiller Chris Fletcher, inspired by the original design of the 1895 Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey bottle.
Fletcher went on to add:
Jack Daniel’s Bonded and Triple Mash are a nod to our heritage with a touch of innovation and craftsmanship. These whiskeys are another opportunity for both our friends and new drinkers to explore and discover everything Jack Daniel’s has to offer.
Jack Daniel’s Bonded Tennessee Whiskey, BIB, 50% ABV, 700 ml, $29.99, uses the distillery’s standard mash bill. According to Fletcher:
Barrels were hand selected for their unique and particular characteristics of deeper color, flavor, and aroma, which bring a darker, richer, and more oak-forward character to Jack Daniel’s Bonded.
He described the whiskey as “a big, bold Tennessee Whiskey at 100 proof with layered notes of caramel, rich oak, and spice giving way to a pleasantly lingering finish.”
The whiskey is much darker than the typical Jack Daniel’s No. 7 and much more intensely flavored. It’s smooth, with a noticeable palate weight, and exhibits pronounced caramel and butterscotch notes accompanied by stone fruit and tropical fruit flavors, along with cinnamon and a bit of clove. It’s slightly astringent and peppery, with a more noticeable oak wood influence.
Every bottling consists of a blend of approximately 200 barrels, each of which was hand selected by Fletcher. According to Fletcher, the barrels are drawn from stock that was intended for either the No. 7 expression or earmarked for bottling as a single barrel.
The Jack Daniel’s Triple Mash, BIB, 50% ABV, 700 ml, $32.99, is, as the name indicates, a blend of three distinct mash bills – 60% Jack Daniel’s Rye Whiskey (70% rye, 12% malted barley, 18% corn), 20% American Malt Whiskey (100% malted barley) and 20% Jack Daniel’s No. 7 (80% corn, 12% malted barley) and 8% rye.
The whiskey exhibits the same caramel and butterscotch notes of Jack Daniel’s Bonded Tennessee Whiskey, along with the same stone fruit and tropical fruit notes. It’s spicier, however, with more pronounced cinnamon and clove notes and even a bit of nutmeg as a result of the higher rye component in the overall blend.
It’s also slightly sweeter on the palate, exhibiting a distinctive honey note, along with more pronounced black pepper notes that linger over the finish. Additional notes of cooked cereal grains emerge as the whiskey opens up.
Both whiskeys undergo the same sugar maple charcoal filtration that all the other Jack Daniel’s Tennessee whiskey expressions receive.
According to Fletcher, the distillery plans to introduce an American Single Malt expression in the future.
Both Jack Daniel’s Bonded and Triple Mash will be available domestically starting in May and will begin international distribution later in the year. Both expressions will also be available through ReserveBar from May 3, 2022.