Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Rye was released in September of 2017 and is the further evolution of their rye products which stem from the first new mashbill they’ve distilled in over 150 years. It started with the Rested Rye, then they released the Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel Rye and now we have the Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Rye released in the iconic JD bottle but with a green label instead of black.
In Jack Daniel’s Words: Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Rye
“Introducing rye whiskey made Jack’s way. Crafted with our 70-percent rye grain bill, natural spring water from our own Cave Spring Hollow, and Jack’s time-honored charcoal mellowing process, Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Rye is a whiskey that could only come from Lynchburg, Tennessee. Master Distiller Jeff Arnett and the whiskey makers of the Jack Daniel Distillery have created a unique rye that’s undeniably spicy and complex yet sippin’ smooth. It might be one of our first new recipes in over 150-years, but if you know Jack, you’ll know Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Rye.”
The whiskey carries no age statement which means it’s at least 4-years-old and some of the other sites I’ve read report unofficial age statements of 5 years. Since I put the score on the image you can already see I think the Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Rye is ok, but nothing amazing or revolutionary. So far I’ve liked every bottle of the single barrel I’ve had more than I have this one.
Enough rambling, let’s get on to the business at hand; on to the Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Rye review!
Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Rye Info
Region: Tennessee, USA
Distiller: Jack Daniel’s
Mashbill: 70% Rye, 18% Corn, 12% Malted Barley
Cask: New Charred Oak
Age: NAS
ABV: 45%
Price: $30
Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Rye Review
EYE
Light amber
NOSE
Banana, spice, marshmallow, oil, char and a bit of orchard fruit.
PALATE
Spice, banana, oak, marshmallow, char and a bit of orchard fruit.
FINISH
Medium fade of banana, spice and oak.
BALANCE, BODY & FEEL
Not fully balanced, medium body and an oily soft feel.
OVERALL
Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Rye is ok. The aroma is soft and pleasant the palate follows suit as does the finish and it’s perfectly sippable. Bottled at 45% it could do well in cocktails and might work fairly well in something like an Old Fashioned. The price point is fairly cheap and if you’re a Jack fan this might be a great rye since it has some of that same char and oil Jack profile.
However, for me, the banana note rides too high from the aroma through the finish; that combined with the marshmallow note reminded me of the banana Nesquik I drank as a kid. I’m a bit shocked by the level of fruit in this, it’s something I typically associated with young rye. I was doubly shocked when, after tasting, I remembered it was a 70% rye mash. I would have imagined a higher spice profile overall.
But here’s the weirdest thing… I kinda like it. Sitting here, writing this, glass in hand, I can’t bring myself to put it in the C range. Intellectually it’s overly sweet and banana-heavy and I should be placing it in the 70s. But holding this glass, sipping it and sniffing it while I move my handwritten notes to typed notes and re-living the whiskey I just can’t drop it below a B-. Take that for what it is… odd.
SCORE: 80/100 (B-)
Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Rye Review - Score Breakdown
Summary
Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Rye is an odd banana heavy whiskey that I can’t bring myself to hate.
Overall
- Nose - 80
- Palate - 80
- Finish - 80
- Balance, Body & Feel - 80
I have decided to go Rye in view of most of the bourbons are GMT.
Now..just my view ..Jack Daniels is not to my taste…Wild Turkey is okay ..but without a doubt Jim Beam is the best …sorry to those who disagree !!!
However thank you all ..I’ll stick overall to good old Scottish Whisky… drink with water ..soda ..coke ..and simply water..Scotch is simply the best.
We all have our preferences, thanks for sharing yours David. Cheers!
I couldn’t believe what I saw earlier this evening…. local Wal-Mart in Chicago suburb had JD Rye for $5 per bottle! That’s correct – FIVE BUCKS. I bought all eleven that they had left!
That’s a hell of a deal, nice find!
Easily the worst rye I’ve ever had at any price. The odd anise note doesn’t help; it just doesn’t taste good.
I bought a taster of this some time ago to give a go at. I’ve never been a big JD fan, but I love ryes and was curious about it. I got some fruity banana like notes on the nose and some of that subtle mapleishness JD products tend to have. It always comes off almost sappy sweet to me and has never been terribly appealing – it wasn’t quite so intrusive with this rye though. Where it gets weird is the herbal notes I picked up. There was an earthlyness to it that I never quite experienced with a JD product before that got me intrigued. I got a good big bit of dill and some other more vague herbal notes I couldn’t quite pin down. On the palate, the sweetness was very upfront and actually pretty pleasant. However, that dill note came through a bit too strong for me and upset any balance I might’ve found with it. On the finish, it was quite pronounced and mildly unpleasant. I sat the glass aside, had a sip of water and decided to try it again with a little bit of water added – just a drop or two. I never consider a whisk(e)y beyond redemption over a little quarrel like that which might not be so big as it seems at first. The water just made it worse. The sweetness was toned down and became less specific. It was less like fruit and more like brown sugar and/or maple syrup. The dill note just mowed it all down though. It went from being an overpowering herbal note to just reminding me of pickle juice. Paired with the sweetness (which was otherwise just fine), that pickle juice like taste just ruined the experience for me. This isn’t the end though. I thought to myself I’d just best not drink it anymore since it rubbed me the wrong way personally but then I was gifted a bottle. I’ve been occasionally having a little pour of it now and then since and haven’t had an experience that bad since. I’m now more of the opinion that it’s just mediocre which I suppose echos the other sentiments here. I do still sometimes get those funky herbal notes but it’s never so bad as it was with the first tasting. I guess the moral is that taste is subjective and one pour should never determine your opinion of a whisk(e)y all on it’s lonesome. I am also wondering if anyone else has had these funky notes with this particular juice or if anyone would care to try to explain how the first taste gave me those impressions? Anywho, cheers!
Haven’t gotten a funkiness before, but thank for sharing. Loved reading this, cheers!
By far the best rye I’ve ever tried, my to-go rye.
Spot on with tasting notes but for me there is a very long and lingering spice or burning in the throat from this. Would be a great winter whiskey out on the ski slopes. Flavor profile sounds delicious but is too sweet to actually enjoy during the summer. I want to like JD and the Tennessee process but it doesn’t seem to follow through for me in taste.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts, cheers Jeremy!
JD Rye follows traditional JD products, It’s awesome. If you like a good Whiskey, and I mean the Whiskey, no mixing, JD Rye is the best. I really like it.
Cheers!
I just bought a fifth from Beverages & More at an $18 sale price. I’m drinking the first glass with soda water. It’s good for that price point, and it’s sweet and easy to drink. A little too bourbony, though, and could use more rye spiciness. Will definitely try Ezra Brooks rye if I can find it.
Thanks for sharing, cheers Burly!
Josh, why do you keep writing that NAS American straight whiskies are 4+ years? The law clearly says that a straight whisky (straight corn aside) must be at least 2 years old. That’s it.
27 CFR § 5.22 (b) (1) (iii).
The “4 years, unless stated otherwise” comes from Bottled-in-Bond – must be a straight whisky with age indicated unless it’s at least 4 years old. Which makes BiB a [slightly] higher age standard than mere straight whiskies.
I see this misunderstanding in respected vlogs as well.
All these budget straight whiskies are 2 years old (except some of them that explicitly state that they’re 3 years old).
Hi Alex,
Chapter 8 of the TTB guidelines (AGE) comes clearly states that whiskey over 4 years does not require an age statement; anything under does. “A specific statement of age is REQUIRED if the bourbon whisky is less than 4 years old” So to not carry a statement it must be 4+.
When you’re talking BiB there is no age statement ever needed because it needs to be a minimum of 4 years old.
Cheers!
Interesting… than there seems to be a contradiction with 27 CFR § 5.22 (b) (1) (iii) where I looked it up (where it just stipulates 2 years for “straight”).
One of these days when I’m less lazy I might reach out to TTB and try to get a clarification. Thank you for the reference.
Hey Alex,
2 years is the minimum for a whiskey to carry the Straight designation but still has to show an age statement if under 4 years. Hope that makes it all make more sense :)
Your tasting notes almost mirror mine to the letter. To me the mint and fruit combine to remind me of a childhood favorite, Juicy Fruit gum. I applaud JD for a unique mash bill. They could’ve gone the easy route and sourced from MGP. The 70% combined with the Lincoln County Process leaves this much sweeter and less spicy than most ryes (and even some rye heavy bourbons) so I try to reduce the amount of simple syrup when using this in an Old Fashioned, but I mainly prefer to sip this one neat. The best JD product I’ve had so far by a country mile.
Cheers!
This is why you’re my go to for whiskey reviews… I personally enjoy the JD Rye, but I found the banana flavor was the strongest flavor that came through for me, and while I usually don’t like banana flavored anything besides bananas, I enjoyed drinking this. Not a JD fan at all, but their rye has won me over as an occasional buy just to change up the palate. Keep up the great work!
Thank you Greg, cheers!
Same here. I’m not a fan of bananas, but I really like this.
I basically agree with your review Josh-not amazing but ok. I’m not a big JD fan but wanted to at least try the rye version. I would just as soon drink Ezra Brooks Rye, which I like a little more, and save $10.
Definitely agree.
I’ve yet to find the EB Rye around here. Looking forward to trying it.
Sounds like a good fit for me , I love the Jack Daniels profile with the banana fosters thing.
Just got a bottle and enjoyed one on the rocks. If you like Jack Daniels, the rye version is great. It’s like Jack with a backbone. Sweet for a rye, but it’s all Jack. Bananas.
Bananas for sure. Cheers jay!
Then yeah that’s the one for you!