By Tabitha Evans Moore | EDITOR & PUBLISHER
LYNCHBURG — It’s Thursday afternoon, and I’ve packed away my planner and laptop to take the rest of the day off. Why? Because at 3 p.m. I get to taste Jack Daniel’s newest whiskey innovation the Single Barrel Special Release Tanyard Hill Rye and the bottle I’ll be sipping from is marked 145.9 proof. This is not my first rodeo. I’ve tasted dozens of bottles over the years and even though I’m a certified “whiskey gal” even I have my limits.
It’s a virtual tasting with other journalists and whiskey bloggers from around the country. Only a handful get the invitation, and I’m honored as always to make the list.
Not content to sit in my boring office, I head to Barrel House BBQ — nestled at the bottom of Tanyard Hill and make myself at home. I’m a regular and Chuck, Jacob, and the rest of the staff just let me take over the Squires Room as my home-away-from-my-home-office. In exchange, I let them taste too and we’re all impressed.
A History of Pushing Boundaries
Since 2018, Jack Daniel’s has released a Single Barrel Special Release each year that explores new frontiers of flavor and technique. It began with the Heritage Barrel, evolved through the powerhouse Coy Hill expressions, and now, in 2025, culminates in the Tanyard Hill Rye.
This latest entry is a nearly 10-year-old rye whiskey made from a mash bill of 70 percent rye, 18 percent corn, and 12 percent malted barley — the same recipe used across their rye portfolio. But where this one stands apart is in its age, proof, and birthplace. It’s bottled straight from the barrel at proofs ranging from the low 130s to around 149, making it one of the highest-proof whiskeys ever to come out of Lynchburg.
As Master Distiller Chris Fletcher explained during the tasting, this release continues a long tradition of experimentation that still honors the core Jack Daniel’s methods – their in-house yeast culture, double copper distillation, and a touch of charcoal mellowing, just enough to “soften the mouthfeel without muting the rye.”
Where Old No. 7 is mellowed through 10 feet of charcoal, this iteration goes through just three feet.
“The big thing that the charcoal mellowing does is it removes a lot of the corn notes,” Fletcher says. “That’s really what the charcoal does. It absorbs the oiliness from corn. So, with a grain bill of this rye being only 18 percent, we don’t need the full 10 feet.”
The Power of Place: Why Tanyard Hill Matters
If Coy Hill is the loud rock concert of the distillery landscape, Tanyard Hill is the deep blues – bold, expressive, and full of soul. It’s home to four of the oldest barrelhouses on the property – Barrel Houses 101 through 104 – all built in the early 1960s.
These are seven-story houses that sit high on the ridge west of the main distillery, facing Lynchburg’s rolling hills and taking the full brunt of Tennessee’s wild weather. Fletcher described them as “nostalgic.” They are visible from the road for anyone driving in or out of town. And nostalgia is just part of it – their unique microclimate is what gives this whiskey its character.
The barrels for this release were filled in October 2015 and aged on the seventh floor, far back corner of Barrel House 101 — one of the hottest, driest spots in Lynchburg. In a decade up there, more than half of each barrel evaporated into angel’s share heaven. What remained was pure intensity: concentrated flavor, deep color, and proof levels that soared to the upper 140s.
Innovation in Every Drop
While other distilleries chase novelty through cask finishes and experimental grains, Fletcher’s team is exploring a different lever — location.
“What happens,” he asked, “if we start peeling back the layers of consistency and isolate the flavor by geography?”
By focusing on single barrel expressions tied to individual hills – Coy Hill, Boiler Hill, Tanyard Hill – Jack Daniel’s is proving that terroir exists even in Tennessee whiskey. The approach allows Mother Nature to become a collaborator rather than a variable. No warehouse cycling. No small barrels. Just 53-gallon American oak and a decade of Lynchburg heat and humidity doing their work.
The result, in Fletcher’s words, is “big, dense whiskey – not delicate, not subtle. It’s meant to stand out.
Tasting Notes
Even before I took the first sip, the nose hit me with dark cherry, cinnamon candy, and bittersweet chocolate. It’s thick – the kind of whiskey you can smell before you even lift the glass.
On the palate, that cherry deepens into black cherry and cherry cola, balanced by oak, dry baking spice, and a faint wisp of smoke. The texture is almost oily, coating the tongue with a long, slow finish that feels like it might never end.
Fletcher compared it to “dipping a cinnamon cookie in dark chocolate,” and that’s exactly right. The heat rolls in waves, building toward a finish that’s equal parts char, spice, and satisfaction.
At 145.9 proof, this pour commands respect – but a drop of water or a big ice cube opens up layers of herbal notes beneath the surface. It’s a whiskey that rewards patience, inviting you to sit with it rather than conquer it.
A Rarity Worth the Hunt
Fewer than 200 barrels were filled for this release, and many never made it out of the warehouse because some evaporated completely in the Tennessee heat. That left roughly 15,000 bottles for the world. They sold out in Lynchburg in less than two hours, and they’ll likely disappear just as quickly nationwide.
For collectors, it’s another chapter in Jack Daniel’s ongoing exploration of place and proof. For drinkers, it’s a chance to taste what happens when a classic distillery lets nature lead.
As for me, back at Barrel House BBQ, my glass sits empty and the scent of cherry and char lingers in the air. I indulged in a rack of Chuck and company’s delicious ribs to keep me on the even keel. Hey, today at least, it’s a business expense. God, I love my job.
Up the hill, the real Tanyard stands watch over its barrels, quietly crafting whatever the next chapter will be. And honestly, after this, I’m excited to see what that might be. I’m not easily impressed, but this one is special. Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel Special Release Tanyard Hill Rye is a unicorn whiskey – bold yet smooth, extremely rare, and damn near magical. •
{The Lynchburg Times is the hometown newspaper of Lynchburg, Tennessee the home of The Jack Daniel Distillery. We get an up-close, insider view of news and events happening in The Holler. If you’ve visited, and would like to follow goings on here in Lynchburg until you return, give us a follow over on Facebook.}