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ReserveBar Reviews: Jack Daniel’s Bottled in Bond Rye

Miranda Hodge, ReserveBar Contributor

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They say legends are not born but made. Such is the case with Jack Daniel's: a name that transcends local Tennessee and even national lore to become a global culture maker. If you were to ask anyone on the street to name a Jack, it’s a guarantee that from Paris to Rio, you’ll likely have Jack Daniel’s in the top 5.

With a name written in the fabric of whiskey history, it’s easy to forget that the brand didn’t start off as the cultural behemoth it is today. In fact, it wasn’t necessarily known until another icon by the name of Frank Sinatra famously said, “Ladies and gentlemen, this is Jack Daniel’s, and it’s the nectar of the gods.” With rapid growth and innovation in recent years, the Jack Daniel Distillery team has released several stellar expressions in addition to the classic Old No. 7. Many whiskey connoisseurs have touted the Single Barrel Select and their stunning 10 Year as coveted bottlings for any collection.

Jack Daniel’s shows no signs of stopping their creative takes on the whiskey category, evident in their recent foray into the Bottled-in-Bond (BiB) category. Before we get ahead of ourselves, however, let’s take a quick dive into the history of Jack Daniel’s and what led them to this new era of innovation.

From Orphan to Legend

Jasper “Jack” Newton Daniel struck out on his own at a young age after his mother passed away and his father remarried. “Long story short, he got into the distilling business at a very young age,” says Chris Fletcher, Master Distiller of Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey®. “He was taken under the wing of Nathan Green on a farm outside of Lynchburg.” Nathan “Nearest” Green was known for some of the best whiskey around, which was saying something, considering that at that time, almost every farm in the region had its own distilling operation as corn wasn’t a crop that overwintered well.

“I would say, if anything, Mr. Green was a father figure to Jack. He was around 9 or 10 years old and had this mentor with Mr. Green — and what a great person to teach him how to make whiskey,” says Fletcher. As Jack grew up, he ended up buying the still from the owner of the farm they worked on in his teens, hiring Green to be his distiller. From there, they relocated the distillery to the now-famous location in Lynchburg around 1880.

Why move the still in the first place? Easy: it’s all in the water. Cave Spring Hollow was known for its pure water. Jack bought the entire spring and the surrounding land to build his operation, likely one of the key business foundations that Jack laid for predecessors like Fletcher. In fact, the spring water is so important that they have taken extra care to conserve and store water — well over 10 million gallons!

Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey was off to a great start until 1909, when Tennessee became a dry state ahead of Prohibition. Unfortunately, Jack died shortly thereafter in 1911 and left his distillery to a nephew, Lem Motlow, who worked to repeal Prohibition in Tennessee after the national ban on alcohol ended. Unfortunately, the longer Tennessee Prohibition had taken a toll on the distillery, with nature taking over the majority of buildings to the point that they had to start over. “We didn’t start to make whiskey again until 1938, so we were way behind the game. And we were a small producer, we weren’t a big producer at all,” says Fletcher.

That would all change when Frank Sinatra started singing Jack Daniel’s praises in the 1950s. Suddenly, they faced such rapid growth that allocations had to be made to ensure the distillery could keep up with the demand. Allocations kept up until about 1980 — ordering the ubiquitous Jack and Coke at a bar in the 1970s would likely merit a laugh in the face from the bartender. The high demand for Old No. 7 meant many bars and stores could not get their hands on even a single case.

“That time when we were a small distiller wasn’t too long ago. People often forget that we weren’t always the category leader of whiskey,” Fletcher goes on to say. “It’s amazing to see Jack Daniel’s grow to be woven into American culture in so many different ways.” That growth continued to today, and despite that growth, they stayed true to their roots. Considering that Jack Daniel’s continues to operate out of the 2nd smallest county in Tennessee, not near any major cities or highways where you can casually visit, speaks to the authenticity and community behind every bottle of Jack Daniel’s.

The Advantage of a Bonded Community

What really makes Jack Daniel’s unique is the community behind it. Many of the people working at the distillery can trace their roots to family members who worked alongside Jack himself. Every part of the distilling process is owned by someone working for the brand — not only do they have two cooperages, but they also have a microbiologist who tends to the yeast for their famous sour mash. Chris Fletcher himself can trace his roots to his grandfather, who was the Master Distiller of Jack Daniel’s during their 1950s boom. “I have to pinch myself because when my grandfather was sitting in this chair, he only made one thing: Old No. 7. And they couldn’t keep up! Almost his whole career was in that allocation era.” As you can imagine, the ability to expand upon his grandfather’s vision, act on new innovations, and even be able to create products inspired by fan requests is something that every distiller dreams of.

However, there’s a balance between innovation and staying true to the tradition of the brand. It’s truly an art between tweaking the tiniest detail — maybe a slightly different mashbill to test the flavors — and using the latest technology to expand and innovate the brand for modern consumer tastes. And yet, the team upholds its history. Is this a Rye that Jack would have liked? Is this bonded whiskey something that the team a generation before would have been proud to offer? It’s all about that traditional process made in Lynchburg, and there’s an evident pride in tying back to the culture and history of Jack Daniel’s.

With that backbone of community, they started thinking about one of the most requested expressions from fans: a Bottled-in-Bond series. For those unfamiliar with what Bottled-in-Bond (BiB) means, here’s a primer from Fletcher himself:

Essentially, to be labeled as BiB, the whiskey must meet the following criteria:

Crafted by a single distiller
Within a single distilling season
Aged in a Federally Bonded warehouse
Aged a minimum of four years
50% ABV

Given that Jack Daniel’s already meets almost all of those requirements in their standard process, it was an easy decision to start a Bonded series and put that transparency and quality guarantee right on the label.

A Bold New Bond

A single word started the conversation of a Bottled-in-Bond series: Bold. “We wanted something that was bigger, bolder flavors,” Fletcher states. “We had that with the Single Barrel, but even within that expression, you had flavor variations from barrel to barrel. We felt we could get even bolder flavors using that Old No. 7 profile.” By increasing the proof to 100, they could expand the applications of their core expression: from tasting neat to cocktails, Fletcher and the team could punctuate the balance of flavors that consumers sometimes miss.

Bottled-in-Bond as a category has taken off in recent years. Previously, you could see the BiBs collecting dust on the bottom shelves of the liquor store. Thankfully, recent educational strides encouraged whiskey fans to see BiB as a sign of quality.

This increase in BiB understanding, coupled with the team’s desire to release a 100-proof expression, led them to release the first two expressions of the Bonded series: Bonded Tennessee Whiskey and Bonded Triple Mash (a blend of three straight Bottled-in-Bond Whiskeys: American Malt, Rye and their Tennessee Whiskey). The response was overwhelmingly positive, with reviews and awards, including the accolade of Whisky Magazine’s Most Exciting Whisky of the Year award in 2022.

Yet, the team felt there was a gap in the Bonded lineup. It was clear they were missing the chance to share their incredible Bonded Rye.

A Preview of What to Expect: Tasting Jack Daniel’s Bonded Rye

While you may expect a Rye to be exorbitantly spicy, this Bonded Rye has a more nuanced balance. Indeed, this may be a Rye not only for lovers of the classification but also for people who may not normally enjoy those punchy highly-peppered notes typical of the category.

The nose starts with a great balance of baking spices like clove and cinnamon, dotted with sweet apples and light earthy undertones, reminiscent of a freshly baked pie cooling in a window. As you begin to taste the Rye, the richness of the proof starts to shine through with a medium-to-full body mouthfeel that almost begs to be used in a modern classic cocktail.

“One thing we wanted to do was create a Bonded Rye that could be used as a wonderful base for cocktail applications, that is balanced and bold, without being overpowering,” says Fletcher. Certainly, this is a Rye that both professional and home bartenders will love to play with — there’s enough complexity with the earthy, toasted Rye bread notes and fresh herbs (think dill, mint, and chives) to merit more creativity past a simple build. As the rye sits on your palate, the oak mingles through the entire experience, adding those familiar rich caramel notes punctuated by a black pepper finish.

The whole tasting experience is lighter and more complex than many Ryes on the market today while still offering a full-body flavor that sits on the tongue well after the tasting. I was reminded of a herbed goat cheese spread on soft Rye bread, drizzled with honey and finished with a light crack of fresh black peppercorn and chive flowers. Velvety, complex, sweet, herbal, and umami are all notes you can expect in addition to the usual suspects of pepper, caramel, and tender vanilla bean.

Try this expression neat at first so that you can enjoy the full history and balance of the Rye itself. If you want to take it a step further, try it in a Bonded Series flight. Fletcher recommends tasting the classic Tennessee Whiskey, then the Rye, and finishing with the Triple Mash. “The Triple Mash is 60% Rye Whiskey, with 20% Malt and 20% Tennessee Whiskey. So it’s really interesting because you’re going to be able to pull out different flavors across the palate as you taste them. But, then, they all wrap together in the end and work together to give you a full tasting experience.”

Like its predecessors in the Bonded Series, this is a must-have bottle. Lucky for you, we carry all 3, so you can buy them all together.