Jack Daniel’s, known for its Tennessee whiskey, has been venturing out into new whisk(e)y territory lately. There’s an American Single Malt Whiskey on the market, and now there’s a new permanent line extension, Jack Daniel’s Bottled-in-Bond Rye whiskey.

“The Bottled-in-Bond designation on Jack Daniel’s Bonded Rye is another stamp of quality, assuring consumers that every drop of our whiskey is made right here in Lynchburg at the Jack Daniel Distillery with the highest standards possible,” said Chris Fletcher, Jack Daniel’s Master Distiller. “Bonded Rye features our uniquely crafted rye grain bill at 100 proof, delivering a unique and balanced profile that drinkers have come to expect and seek out from our rye releases.”

The Bottled-in-Bond Act of 1897 was one of the first consumer protection laws on the books in the United States, which was prompted by some really shady business practices at the time. Rectifiers were not always unscrupulous, but the ones that were would buy unaged whiskey and add things like brown sugar, prune juice, mint oil, and more as well as less safe things like batter acid and tobacco spit. The BiB Act required that whiskey be produced in one season at one distillery, aged a minimum of four years in a government-bonded warehouse, and bottled at 100 proof.

Today, Bottled-in-Bond is an assurance to consumers that the company bottling the whiskey actually made that whiskey.

Fletcher says that Jack Daniel’s began distilling rye whiskey in 2011. This offering is that same mash bill, made in Lynchburg, Tennessee. There have been single barrel rye releases as well, and Jack Daniel’s Rye has been a standard offering for a few years now. This bonded offering, he says, is a natural progression of that, and the standard rye offering will be phased out.

This bottling was produced in Spring of 2016, making it around seven years old at the time of bottling. It only gets about three feet of charcoal mellowing, as opposed to ten feet for a standard Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey. Fletcher says it’s more of a polishing effect.

The mash bill for this release is 70% rye, 18% corn, and 12% malted barley. It is available in a 700ml bottle, one of the first I have seen from a major American producer since that started being allowed last year. The MSRP is a very affordable $31.99. It is currently available for presale on ReserveBar. It will be available nationwide soon and internationally in the future and will be a permanent line extension.

Photos Courtesy of Maggie Kimberl