I’d like to thank the folks at Jack Daniel’s for providing this review sample with no strings attached.
Last week I got to sit in on a fun virtual tasting with the Jack Daniel’s Master Distiller for their new 2021 Single Barrel Special Release: Coy Hill High Proof. It is an interesting tasting and what follows are some of the notes my wife and I took during the presentation.
Coy Hill is the name of the highest elevation on the Jack Daniel’s property with aging warehouses on it. This whiskey came from two of those warehouses, number 8 and 13. The retail product will list which warehouse of the two warehouses the whiskey was aged in.
The typical Jack Daniel’s warehouse has 7 floors, each with 3 levels. The top floor has just enough space between the ceiling and the top rack to squeeze another level of barrels. They call this the “Buzzard’s Roost.” This product came exclusively from the Buzzard’s Roost.
Barrel entry dates for this product were August 2, 3, and 17 of 2012. They were bottled in late September 2021. Meaning this product is 9 years old, though that is not on the label. All nine of those years were spent in the Buzzard’s Roost as they do not move or rotate barrels.
The retail product ranges from 137.4° proof to 148.3° proof. They had barrels in the batch that came in proofed over 160° proof, but the high alcohol content was causing leakage as the alcohol expanded in the head space and pushed the cork out. Most of these barrels are still aging until they figure out what to do with them. (For the record, typical barrel proofs at this age are probably in the mid-130s.)
And now some quotes from the Press Release that I found interesting:
“Coy Hill High Proof is made from Jack Daniel’s classic 80% corn, 12% malted barley and 8% rye grain bill.”
“The limited offering whiskey is bottled at proof points ranging from 137.4 up to 148.3 and marks the highest proof whiskey ever released from the Jack Daniel Distillery.”
“The Coy Hill High Proof is all about pushing the limit for single barrel maturation to create one of our boldest, most innovative whiskeys we have ever released,” says Jack Daniel’s Master Distiller Chris Fletcher. “It highlights one of the unique attributes of the Jack Daniel Distillery – the dry air of the highest floors of the barrel houses – and the amazing impact it has on whiskey making.”
“Due to the high barrel strength, the bottle should remain upright at all times
unless being poured into a glass for drinking in a responsible manner.”
But enough of that, let’s get on to the tasting notes.
Jack Daniel's 2021 Single Barrel Special Release: Coy Hill High Proof
Purchase Info: This sample was sent by Jack Daniel’s for the purposes of the virtual tasting and for review. The Suggested Retail Price is $70 for a 750 mL bottle.
Price per Drink (50 mL): $4.67
Details: 73.65% ABV
Nose: Oak notes of leather and tobacco, spearmint, wintergreen, vanilla, and baking spices.
Mouth: Very warm and sweet. Initial strong toffee notes followed by vanilla, mint, and almond.
Finish: Long and warm with notes of almond, mint, toffee, and baking spice.
Thoughts: This might have the darkest color of any whiskey I’ve ever reviewed. It is also a very tasty whiskey. It is quite a bit too hot for my taste when consumed neat. Luckily for me, when I have a glass of whiskey for enjoyment, I like to have a small piece of ice in higher-proof ones. Well, this one gets a large piece of ice. And it takes it well. There is still some heat to the drink. The flavor softens a bit and brings the oak notes more to the forefront. And the finish is still fairly long. Overall, I really like this one.
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