WHISKEY INDUSTRY NEW — Each fall the folks in the Holler announce a Single Barrel Special Release just in time for whiskey lovers to make their holiday lists. Distillers released the first Single Barrel Special Release in 2018 and the 2021 release will try to top the extremely popular 2020 Barrel Proof Rye.
We’ve talked to sources inside the distillery and hear that this year’s iteration, Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel Special Release Coy Hill High Proof is something special.
In local rickhouses, the top floors produce the highest proof whiskey because the whiskey in those barrels gets exposed to the highest temperatures. It takes all four seasons to make an exceptional Tennessee whiskey but the hotter, lighter air of those top floors causes water to evaporate and drives the proof higher.
According to distillery officials, this special release comes from bottles aged in what’s commonly referred to as the Buzzard’s Roost up on Coy Hill behind the Jack Daniel’s north campus. When tasters got ahold of it, they felt the flavor profiles were smooth enough to bottle uncut. We got a sneak peek at the label and the mock up we saw said 141 proof though distillery officials say it will likely vary by bottle. The label also lists the specific barrel house the whiskey aged in, either Barrel House #8 or Barrel House #13. Each bottle will be numbered and signed by Master Distiller Chris Fletcher.
Like all Single Barrel products each bottle comes from an individual aging barrel, instead of being blended. The mashbill is 80 percent corn, 12 percent barley, and eight percent rye.
At press time, distiller officials could not give us an anticipated release date but we do know it should hit store shelves this fall. Stay tuned for more details. •
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