Jack Daniel’s Coy Hill Rye Whiskey Review

By Richard Thomas

Rating: A-

The latest Single Barrel Special Release from Jack Daniel’s draws on their rye whiskey but combines that with the twist that swiftly became a fan favorite after it was first used with their staple Old No. 7 Tennessee Whiskey: Coy Hill.

Coy Hill overlooks the distillery and was the first choice of Master Distiller Chris Fletcher when the decision was made to join a prevailing trend among Kentucky Majors and showcase the maturation qualities of particular warehouse properties or even individual buildings. This has long been a feature of Buffalo Trace’s work, with entire brands built around Warehouse C and H. Lately Jim Beam and Wild Turkey have joined in, as both own some widely separated and distinct rickhouse properties scattered about Central Kentucky.

So has Jack Daniel’s. They began with Coy Hill in 2021, and that first offering was very well received. The company has since added a second locale (Boiler Hill), and now they have returned to Coy Hill for a fourth go, * this time drawing on rye whiskey aged there.

Although I thought the first two Coy Hill single barrel Tennessee Whiskeys were excellent, I suspect the main reason they were such a hit was their very, very high proof points. That drew the Hazmat fans like flies. With a proof range of 128.7 to 148.5, this release is certainly high octane and absolutely cask strength. Some of those barrels have come in at a proof point well above what typical cask strength releases yield, but it is not even approaching the tipping point for Hazmat. There is no age statement and approximately 300 barrels were drawn from all floors of the rickhouse for the release, but they are said to be roughly 10 years of age.

The Whiskey
My pour took on a mid-amber look in the glass, darker than I usually expect from a rye. So often, rye whiskeys are lighter in appearance than bourbon, more bronze or copper than amber. My sample came in at 133.1 proof.

The nose led with musty, dry wood with an herbal current, kind of like a bundle of garden herbs tied to a barn rafter and left there to dry on a sunny, autumn afternoon. But behind that is a sweeter aspect, akin to ginger cookies if someone were to make them with chunks of dried cherries.

In keeping with all things Jack, the whiskey is a very mellow sipper, that despite its high rye content (70%) and high octane standing. The flavor is more recognizably Jack than the scent was, presumably the influence of Lynchburg’s custom heavily toasted, then lightly charred barrel stock. Oodles of brown sugar and vanilla, but in an interesting twist it’s as if cherries have replaced the banana note one expects from Jack Daniel’s, even in its rye. A musty, oaky current still runs through the palate, but the whole thing–from cherries to oak–is under a sheet of cake spices.

With all that said, the finish is suprisingly not woody. It’s quite mild and almost minty.

The Price
The production run for the Coy Hill Rye is nearly 32,000 bottles, which explains its reasonable $90 price point.

* Editor’s Note: I have seen some reports indicating this represents a third expression drawn from Coy Hill, but that is incorrect. The total thus far is the original from 2021, a follow-up in 2024, a Distillery Series release from August 2026 and now this.