It’s hard to keep a secret in the whiskey world these days, as fans scour the internet to uncover TTB filings of new releases well before they actually hit liquor-store shelves. There has been speculation about one in particular for a few months now: a new 14-year-old whiskey from Jack Daniel’s, which is the oldest age statement from the Tennessee distillery in over a century. We got a first taste, and it’s a fantastic sipper even at a pretty high proof.
Over the past few years, Jack Daniel’s master distiller Chris Fletcher has introduced a few new age statement expressions. These fan favorites have returned, with the fourth batch of the 10-year-old whiskey and a third batch of the 12-year-old whiskey dropping this month. But it’s this new 14-year-old whiskey that is getting the most attention, an age statement that the distillery says hasn’t been on a bottle since the early 1900s.
“When we released our first Jack Daniel’s 10-Year-Old Tennessee Whiskey a few years ago, we set out to honor the legacy of Jack Daniel himself and replicate the lineup of age-stated whiskeys available during his time,” said Fletcher in a statement. “This year’s releases build upon that as we re-introduce our new 14-Year-Old Tennessee Whiskey, the oldest age statement for Jack Daniel’s in the last 100 years or more. These whiskeys really showcase how a little extra time in our barrels is capable of producing something so special.”
This new whiskey is made using the same mashbill as all Jack Daniel’s expressions (except for the rye): 80 percent corn, 12 percent malted barley, and 8 percent rye. And just like its humble sibling Old No. 7, the 14-year-old was filtered through 10 feet of maple charcoal before barreling to “mellow” the flavor, to put it in Jack terms, also known as the Lincoln County process. Unlike the younger version’s tame 80 proof, the 14-year-old whiskey was bottled at barrel strength of 126.3 proof, which is along the lines of a Booker’s or Elijah Craig Barrel Proof release. Generally speaking, that ABV is high for Jack, although not as hot as the hazmat level Coy Hill whiskeys, some of which soared as high at 155 proof. On a recent Zoom call, Fletcher explained that his team moved barrels from the hotter top floors to cooler lower floors as they neared the eight-year mark to slow the influence of oak that might overpower the whiskey, as well as reduce evaporation. So while the whiskey soared into the 130s on those upper levels, it lost some proof after being moved down.
We got to taste the new 14-year-old whiskey, and while there is a healthy dose of heat on the palate, the flavor is rich and chocolatey. The Jack Daniel’s signature banana note is still there, along with some other fruits like ripe apple and cherry. But that long time spent inside barrels has imbued the liquid with a bit of char smoke, leather, tobacco, and burnt vanilla that round it all out. According to Fletcher, there could be even older whiskeys to come, provided they meet expectations—18 or even 21-year-old whiskeys that would match the age statements Jack himself once had on some bottles.
Jack Daniel’s 14-Year-Old Tennessee Whiskey (SRP $150) is available in limited numbers now, so check your local liquor store or websites like ReserveBar to find a bottle. You won’t be disappointed.
