(Photo: Jack Daniel's)
On Monday, industry icon Jack Daniel's unveiled the third annual return of its blisteringly high-proof Coy Hill Single Barrel series.
As with past releases, the star of the show is the eponymous Coy Hill barrelhouse, a facility situated at the highest elevation of the Jack Daniel's property in Lynchburg, Tennessee. The barrelhouse's rapid fluctuations in temperature purportedly create a greater interplay between whiskey and oak.
With its latest release, the brand has put those influences to work on an old classic. Though 2024's Coy Hill Barrelhouse 8 boasts the same mashbill as the distillers' ubiquitous Old No. 7 (80% corn, 12% malted barley and 8% rye), its alcohol content and age tell a drastically different story. While a standard bottle of Jack rolls in at 80 proof, this year's Coy Hill ranges from 122 to 137.5.
The expression was distilled in 2013 before it was charcoal mellowed and matured in charred American white oak casks. The final product is said to feature flavors of candied fruit, rich toffee and molasses and is now available nationwide at a suggested retail price of $79.99.
Emphasis on "suggested"; Coy Hill's limited nature has led to some ludicrous markups on the resale market in years past. 375-milliliter bottles of Coy Hill 2022 — which were released at just $55 each — are currently being hawked online at $2,000 and up. The 2024 edition has been introduced at 750 milliliters, and prices may reach even higher than its predecessor in months to come.
“This year’s release builds upon the mystique of the Coy Hill barrel houses that see such drastic temperature swings throughout the whiskey’s maturation," Jack Daniel's Master Distiller Chris Fletcher commented in a news release. "Coy Hill Barrelhouse 8 is the same recipe as our Old No. 7 Tennessee Whiskey, but the unique elements, time, and mother nature have helped to craft a whiskey with an incredible range of flavors and proofs that would be impossible to replicate.”
Demand for the whiskey has climbed year after year as word of its sweltering reputation spreads like wildfire.
We had a chance to try a 72.25%-ABV bottling of the 2021 Coy Hill release and oh, was it something. Though we may have tossed around descriptors like "unreasonably intense" and "punishing," let it be known that we were impressed by its combination of bitter oak, root beer, red fruit, banana chips and pronounced anise flavor. Clocking in at a Raided Score® of 90, other reviewers agreed.
For more information on the release, check out the Jack Daniel's website here.
Jack Daniel's Coy Hill Barrelhouse 8 Tasting Notes, Via the Brand
Nose: Baking spices, cinnamon and clove
Taste: Caramel and vanilla alongside hints of candied fruit, rich toffee and molasses
