Jack Daniel’s Used Table Syrup Barrels to Finish Its New High-Proof Rye Whiskey

(Photo: Jack Daniel’s)

Jack Daniel’s is expanding its catalog with a splash of syrupy sweet Southern charm.

On Wednesday, the famed Tennessee whiskey maker unveiled Distillery Series #16, a rye whiskey matured in new charred white oak before finishing in ex-table syrup barrels. Table syrup, otherwise known as pancake syrup (but not to be confused with maple syrup), is typically made from high-fructose corn, water and flavorings. The team says that the unusual cask finish adds rich layers of sweetness that “complement and elevate” the whiskey’s rye character.

The expression is distilled from a mashbill of 70% rye, 18% corn and 12% malted barley before bottling at 111.4 proof. Like previous releases in the Distillery Series, the whiskey will be available exclusively at the White Rabbit Bottle Shop in Lynchburg, Tennessee. Fans based in and around the area can pick up 375-milliliter bottles at a suggested retail price of $44.75.

“The Jack Daniel’s Distillery Series is all about exploring new ideas, and the complex nature of our Tennessee Rye Whiskey makes a great canvas for experimentation,” Byron Copeland, Jack Daniel’s Barrel Maturation Manager and Master Taster, remarked in a news release. “Thanks to what we can do with our barrels, the finish adds a sweetness and depth that’s completely unique but unmistakably Jack.”

It’s the latest in a string of rye releases from the historic brand, otherwise best known for its high-corn mashbills. In October, Jack Daniel’s unveiled a hazmat-proof Tanyard Hill Rye Whiskey that set our palate ablaze with spicy flavors of cinnamon, sassafras, blackberry and gingerbread. Distillery Series #16 sounds like it’ll fall on the more approachable end of the spectrum, even if its price is sure to increase sharply once resellers enter the equation.