American whiskey aficionados have been clamoring for cask-strength spirits forever. It's not just a matter of tolerance. These liquids tend to be undiluted, fuller in flavor, and “purer” in form than the barrel dormant. But yes, to enjoy them To do We need to be able to withstand the scorching heat of high-octane whiskey. Few products on shelves today are as hot or delicious as Jack Daniel's' Coy Hill line. Now a third name has been added to the series that has been going on for three years.
Single Barrel Special Release Coy Hill Barrelhouse 8 ranges from 122 to 137.5 proof depending on the bottling you get your hands on. Originally released in 2021, these limited editions are harvested from a barrel house located at the highest point on the legendary distillery's grounds in Lynchburg, TN. There, atop the hayloft, stifling humidity during the long summer months enhances the aging whiskey with notes of charred oak.
The 2024 version bears the typical characteristics of classic Jack Daniel's. Caramel, vanilla, and banana flavors bond and compete among a swirl of fruit compote, butterscotch, and burnt sugar. The rich sweetness subsides on the finish, where a relentless parade of cooking spices and cloves moves towards the back of your tongue.
All of these complexities arise from the same distillate that makes up the brand's flagship distillate. The mash consisted of 80 percent corn, 12 percent malted barley, and 8 percent rye. The liquid was then tempered with charcoal, as required by Tennessee whiskey, and placed in new, charred American white oak barrels in September 2013. We couldn't quite believe that it started life as the same juice, so we asked for professional verification.
“Coy Hill Barrelhouse 8 is the same recipe as our Old No. 7 Tennessee Whiskey, but unique elements, time and mother nature, have helped produce a whiskey with an incredible variety of flavors and proofs that are impossible to replicate.” says Jack Daniel's master distiller Chris Fletcher. “This year’s release draws on the mystique of the Coy Hill barrel houses, which see wild temperature fluctuations throughout the maturation of the whisky.”
These violent oscillations actually reveal evidence above in the barrel. Evidence of whiskey in cooler climates such as Scotland reduces steadily as he matures. But due to the heat and humidity of southeastern U.S. summers, the forced evaporation of liquid from barrels (better known as the angel's share) consists predominantly of water, not booze.
A bottle this hot is a rare occurrence in a voluntary state. Any spirit ultimately labeled as Tennessee whiskey, bourbon, or rye cannot legally go into more than 125 barrels. So anything bottled above this point will thank the aforementioned evaporation.
The 375 ml bottle of the new Coy Hill Barrelhouse 8 will be available for $80. But the latest release in 2022, which also includes the highest-strength Jack Daniel's liquid ever (a whopping 155.1), is currently trading for as much as $2,300 on secondary markets. So yes, this juice is very hot. Run, don't walk, to your local liquor store before they burn everything down.
Related: Jack Daniel's Heritage Cask Helps Redefine Tennessee Whiskey