I’m happy to see that distilleries continue to innovate, even in the face of difficult business conditions in the industry. Recently, I’ve had the chance to try two new products from old favorites, plus a novel concoction that represents much of the current Tennessee distilling talent all in one bottle. Read along to find out what’s new on the shelves of your favorite spirits store.
First up is a limited-availability product that Jack Daniel’s has been making for a while, but only for select duty-free retail shops around the world. On the heels of the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau recognizing American Single Malt as the first new whiskey category in more than a half-century, Jack Daniel’s American Single Malt Whiskey is now available nationwide, albeit in limited quantities.
Jack Daniel’s has teased us with Single Malt-adjacent projects in the past, which I have written about several times before. They included a malt as part of a Triple Mash product in 2022, offered a twice-barreled single malt later that year, and even teased me with a sample of this very same product almost three years ago, but now we can finally find it on local shelves in 1-liter bottles for a suggested price of $74.99.
The 100 percent malted barley mash bill is milled, fermented and distilled in Lynchburg before undergoing the Lincoln County mellowing process, aging in new charred American oak barrels and finally spending extra time finishing in used casks that previously held oloroso sherry.
Proofed down to 45 percent, Jack Daniel’s American Single Malt is gentle on the palate and fruity on the nose. Since there is no contact with peat like with Scotch whisky, the earthy, smoky character of that malt beverage is intentionally excluded. It is replaced by fruity dark chocolate and berry notes on the nose and more bitter cocoa and dark fruits on the tongue. The finish is all sherry and oak — much to the benefit of the spirit.
I loved it then, and I still do. Especially now that I can find it, and it’s $20 cheaper than three years ago. What else can you say that about?!
Hard Truth Distilling Co. out of Nashville, Ind., is another of my favorite innovators in the whiskey world, particularly for their experimentation with roasting and malting grains as part of their lineup of bourbons and ryes.
For their third 2026 Master Distiller’s Reserve release, they return to the Chocolate Malt Rye and Caramel Malt Rye mash bills that made my home Manhattans so much better back in 2023. Dark Roast Rye is a 50/50 blend between the chocolate and caramel varieties, and it’s actually a bottled-in-bond product. This means that it was all distilled in the same 6-month season in one distillery, aged for at least four years and bottled at 100 proof.
The result is really roasty and toasty, complex and dark. The spicy and peppery elements of rye are still present, but they take a back seat to the fudge brownie and a cup of dark roast coffee that the finish offers up. I can’t wait for a crisp autumnal evening when I can enjoy this with a cigar by a fire pit somewhere. (If my tiny sample bottle lasts that long.)
Dark Roast Rye was just released late last month, so hopefully it has made its way to our local spirits stores by now.
The third new product off the review shelf is actually the second iteration of the Tennessee Collective, a fun project from the distillery member of the Tennessee Whiskey Trail. Distillers from 11 different Tennessee Whiskey Trail members convened at Old Glory Distilling Co. in Clarksville in mid-July, and they each brought a barrel of hand-selected whiskeys with them.
Under the direction of Old Glory owner and distiller Matt Cunnighman, the group created a blend combining the whiskeys from: Big Machine Distillery, Gate 11 Distillery, Jack Daniel’s Distillery, Leiper’s Fork Distillery, Nelson’s Green Brier Distillery, Old Dominick Distillery, Old Glory Distilling Co., Peg Leg Porker Spirits, Short Mountain Distillery, Sugarlands Distilling Company and Tennessee Legend Distillery.
After determining the specific blend, the group collective released a limited-edition, cask-strength whiskey called The Tennessee Collective American Whiskey. Clocking in at 120 proof, this whiskey has a lot going on with it.
I personally felt like last year’s first edition was a little muddled with a dozen different products fighting for prominence. But what do I know, because the first Tennessee Collective received a Double Platinum at the ASCOT Awards and Gold Medals in the SIP Awards, Barleycorn Awards and London Spirits Competition. It was also difficult to acquire with only limited availability over a very short time frame.
Tennessee Whiskey Trail Members at Old Glory
I feel like all that has been worked out for this year, because Round 2 of The Tennessee Collective is a very cohesive product with a definite point of view. Coming on strong with immediate oaky and nutty notes from all those different barrels and a pleasant high-proof burn, the flavor resolves into more of the caramel and spicy vanilla drawn from the barrels. The grains take a bit of a back seat, which makes sense, because I don’t know how much corn was used, what sort of corn was sourced or even if rye whiskey was the contribution of one or more of the distilleries. It’s a delightful little mystery in a glass that invites further exploration with each sip.
Cunningham is proud of what the group has accomplished, saying, "It was a pleasure to host the other 10 participants for this experience. Coming together like this is a reminder that while each distillery has its own unique story and style, we're all working toward the same goal: elevating Tennessee spirits and showcasing what makes our industry so special. Everybody brings something different to the table, and blended together it makes for something better than any of us are able to do alone."
All 11 participating distilleries will offer a limited number of barrels as of Sept. 1, at an SRP of $79.99. For a taste of the entire state of Tennessee in a glass, I’d say that’s a fair deal!
