Kalessin Posted June 12, 2012 Share Posted June 12, 2012 I've been there. Its a nice place. I didn't see any whiskey. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrinkSpirits Posted October 5, 2012 Share Posted October 5, 2012 It has been officially announced and Drink Spirits has a review: http://www.drinkspirits.com/whiskey/jack-daniels-unaged-rye-whiskey-review/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HighInTheMtns Posted October 5, 2012 Share Posted October 5, 2012 $50 for an unaged rye? This makes microdistiller pricing look fantastic (for example, compare to HW OMG rye, on both proof and price.) Pass. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smokinjoe Posted October 5, 2012 Share Posted October 5, 2012 I need another unaged spirit like I need a hole in my head... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josh Posted October 5, 2012 Share Posted October 5, 2012 I need another unaged spirit like I need a hole in my head...Go easy on them. I'm sure they'll start releasing some really nice stuff once they have been in business for a little longer, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HighInTheMtns Posted October 5, 2012 Share Posted October 5, 2012 Go easy on them. I'm sure they'll start releasing some really nice stuff once they have been in business for a little longer,Right, they're just selling this unaged distillate to fund their startup costs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gillman Posted October 5, 2012 Share Posted October 5, 2012 Well that's interesting.Three observations: i) I don't get the pricing either. ii) There is no mention I can see of the maple charcoal filtering. Was the rye mash whiskey subjected to that? iii) Why is the class of spirits called neutral spirits on the label? Is it distilled out over 190? If so, I don't see really what rye mash, also stated on the bottle, designates.Gary Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HighInTheMtns Posted October 5, 2012 Share Posted October 5, 2012 Interesting observation, Gary. I believe that neutral spirits is a legally defined term meaning that it was distilled to over 190 proof (correct me if I am wrong about that.) I've seen various vodkas whose labels identify the grain/fruit from which they originated; is this nothing more than $50 Jack Daniel's vodka? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T Comp Posted October 5, 2012 Share Posted October 5, 2012 So the two bigest brand names in straight whiskey, with all their R & D and marketing skills, have thrown down the gautlet with their own versions of a clear whiskey, but both with their own twist. Chuck had an advance bottle he shared at KBF weekend, of the soon to be released Beam version, Jacob's Ghost, which is aged for 1 year and then filtered back clear http://www.trademarkia.com/clear-distilled--clear-filtered-jim-beam-b-jacobs-ghost-white-whiskey-jacob-beam-85682775.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MyOldKyDram Posted October 5, 2012 Share Posted October 5, 2012 Why?Padpadpadpadpad Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gillman Posted October 5, 2012 Share Posted October 5, 2012 (edited) Well, they would get the aging effect of one year, but then to get it white, filter out all the color. It's a technique used in the rum industry a lot, and for the Canadian White Owl whisky brand.Neutral spirit (turning now to the Jack Daniels Tennessee rye label, at least as depicted in that image) does designate, as far as I know, spirit distilled out at 190 proof or higher. It doesn't matter what grains are used. Whiskey from a rye mash normally means whiskey made from a mash of which 51% or more of the grains are rye, and distilled at up to 160 proof, but not aged in new charred barrels or perhaps, aged in such barrels but entered at >125 proof. Could this be a mixture of neutral spirits and rye mash whiskey? It is called "rye" though, which I would have thought excludes the idea of containing neutral spirits. Yet, it is called rye, not rye whiskey as such, on the label. So perhaps it is a mix. By the way, the label says only a small amount was bottled white and most was laid down for barrel aging.Gary Edited October 5, 2012 by Gillman Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MGillespie Posted October 5, 2012 Share Posted October 5, 2012 Just received a sample of it via the Whiskey Fairy. According to the release that came with it, they distilled and put up 800+ barrels of rye spirit at the end of last year to see how they would mature...and then their in-house tasters started raving about it. They've decided to release a limited amount as noted in previous posts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gillman Posted October 5, 2012 Share Posted October 5, 2012 Can you give some taste notes? Does it taste like part of it is neutral spirits? I would think you might know by the crisp, peppery finish vodka has, say.Gary Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cowdery Posted October 5, 2012 Share Posted October 5, 2012 (edited) The Whiskey Fairy visited me as well. The press release says, "while many rye products only contain the required 51 percent rye in their grain bill, Jack Daniel’s Unaged Rye consists of a grain combination of 70 percent rye, 18 percent corn and 12 percent malted barley." I'm surprised they don't mention charcoal filtering. I'm tasting it right now, and it clearly has been filtered, perhaps more than once, because while it has some of the aroma and flavor of white dog, it's very much toned down, very much like the Beam Jacob's Ghost product, which I recently learned is a definite go and will start to appear in stores in January. Master Distiller Jeff Arnett, in his tasting notes, describes it as more fruity than spicy, and he's right about that. I suspect rye's characteristic spice notes were a casualty of the heavy filtering. They're saying it's 'unaged,' but it has to have at least touched wood or they couldn't call it whiskey. They as much as say that it was already in the barrels when they decided to start selling it white. That sounds like a fairy tale (courtesy of the Whiskey Fairy) anyway. It's 40% ABV. Like Jacob's Ghost, it is less flavorable but much more drinkable than a typical micro-producer 'white whiskey.' It's spicier and drier than the Beam product. Still, you have to have some affection for white dog to drink it, because that's still what it is. I can hear the talk now about "Jack Daniel's moonshine." Clearly, though, there must be some high level market research that says white whiskey has legs. It looks like a small release that will sell primarily in Tennessee, including at the distillery. Of course, they may just be saying that so places start to demand it. Edited October 5, 2012 by cowdery Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gillman Posted October 5, 2012 Share Posted October 5, 2012 (edited) Chuck, it doesn't state whiskey anywhere on the image, that I can see. Here is further script from the bottle:http://lh5.ggpht.com/-ssPI2fFUQJ8/UFHnlbWa4uI/AAAAAAAAArM/NPKqdMUF4A0/s1600-h/image%25255B5%25255D.pngStill no talk of whiskey as such.My guess, or inference, is this is neutral spirit with a majority of the grains from rye. It might retain a lot of flavor if distilled at 190 as opposed to 194-196. I've tasted "rye vodka" distilled at that level (190) that has a lot of flavour, and perhaps maple charcoal filtering adding something. The difference between the terms "class" and "type" may be important, too.Gary Edited October 5, 2012 by Gillman Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MGillespie Posted October 5, 2012 Share Posted October 5, 2012 Negative...just got off the phone with Jeff Arnett doing an interview that will be in this weekend's WhiskyCast. The mashbill is 70% rye, 18% corn, and 12% malted barley. Chuck, you're right...they did run it through the charcoal after distillation and before bottling. He says they didn't call it whiskey because it hadn't spent any time in the barrel, which is why they're calling it "Unaged Rye". IMHO, the charcoal really adds something to this one...it knocks off the rough edges that we see in most unaged ryes, while bringing out some great fruity notes on the taste and more sweetness than you'd normally expect from an unaged rye. They have 800+ barrels that were laid down late last year, and those will be the foundation for an aged version that we'll see in a few years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gillman Posted October 5, 2012 Share Posted October 5, 2012 But what proof was it distilled at? Why is there a reference to its class being neutral spirit?Gary Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HighInTheMtns Posted October 5, 2012 Share Posted October 5, 2012 But what proof was it distilled at?This is the biggest question I have too. I'd have to say that it seems strange that they would lay down barrels of neutral spirits for aging, but why in the world would they label this bottle as neutral spirits if that's not what it is? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MGillespie Posted October 5, 2012 Share Posted October 5, 2012 This is the biggest question I have too. I'd have to say that it seems strange that they would lay down barrels of neutral spirits for aging, but why in the world would they label this bottle as neutral spirits if that's not what it is?It's not neutral spirits, gang. Just confirmed the following with Jeff Arnett: 1: Rye-based mashbill (see my post above) distilled at 140 proof (70% abv). The spirit that's being laid down in casks is at traditional barrel strength 62.5% abv (125 proof), and both aged and unaged versions will be bottled at 40% abv (80 proof). As for not using the "whiskey" labeling, Jeff advises that they have TTB approval to call the unaged spirit "Tennessee Rye", but since they're not even putting into casks for a few minutes, they cannot use "whiskey" on the label. In Jeff's words, they're following the traditional Jack Daniel's whiskey-making process right up to the point where it goes into the barrel...and bottle it instead.I really should hang out here more often... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gillman Posted October 5, 2012 Share Posted October 5, 2012 Thanks for that clarification, but I still don't understand the reference on the label to neutral spirit being the "class" of this beverage.Gary Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
portwood Posted October 5, 2012 Share Posted October 5, 2012 (edited) In Jeff's words, they're following the traditional Jack Daniel's whiskey-making process right up to the point where it goes into the barrel...and bottle it instead.Wow, I didn't know that it costs less to age spirit in a barrel before bottling than to bottle it straight out of the filtering vats.:slappin:FIFTY bucks for new-make, 20 bucks after aging.:bigeyes: Edited October 5, 2012 by portwood Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MyOldKyDram Posted October 5, 2012 Share Posted October 5, 2012 Yeah. Screw that noise. Ridiculous. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HighInTheMtns Posted October 5, 2012 Share Posted October 5, 2012 Can't understand that pricing at all. This costs more than JDSB, for an 80 proofer... truly one of the most ridiculous price points I've seen on anything. Did Jeff mention anything about the price in your interview, Mark? Maybe this is just while it's a gift shop item? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MGillespie Posted October 5, 2012 Share Posted October 5, 2012 It's like any other gift shop or limited-release product, and I fully expect there will be Jack collectors that just have to have a bottle. I wouldn't have priced it that high, but then, I'm not a marketing guy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MyOldKyDram Posted October 5, 2012 Share Posted October 5, 2012 Four Rose's 17 yo gift shop bottling is $57.Just sayin'. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts