Whiskey Wednesday: Jack Daniel's, Barrell Vantage and Kentucky Owl

I’ve often joked that my FedEx and UPS drivers must think I’m the world’s laziest alcoholic, because I have to sign for deliveries of alcohol samples a few times a week. Sometimes, I’m fresh from the YMCA, still wearing my sweats with my 16-year-old poodle under my arm as I meet the delivery drivers at the door. I’m sure that they think of themselves as they return to their trucks, “That lazy sumbitch won’t even go to the liquor store to pick up his own bottles!”

I finally reached a rapprochement with my FedEx driver by telling him what I do for a living and even inviting him in to see my office with my review shelf heaving under the weight of bottles — some of which contained only 100-milliliter samples when I unpacked the big boxes filled with bubble wrap that protected them. Now he often doesn’t make me sign for samples if I’m not home, avoiding the need to redirect the shipment to the Nashville shipping center or one of their retail stores. (Don’t tell management about our arrangement, please.)

“But couldn’t you just have all your beer, wine and spirit samples sent to the Scene office?” you might ask. I would respond, “Have you seen the sales and editorial staff there?” Plus, I try to visit the office as infrequently as possible, rationalizing that the fewer people recognize my face, the harder I am to fire.

My FedEx driver and I have been spending a lot of time together as several of my favorite distilleries have released new products lately — so many that I’ll have to share more of them with you next week. Below, find the most recent highlights from the ol' review shelf.

Jack Daniel’s has released #8 and #9 in its Distillery Series line of experimental whiskeys, which was formerly called the Tennessee Tasters’ Selections as these products were developed by the distillery’s talented team of tasters. Both of these new products are limited-edition finishes of rye whiskey, not the first type of spirit you think of from the Lynchburg distillery.

#8 is Toasted Maple Barrel Rye, created by Josh Phillips, one of Jack’s tasters. The rye was distilled and barreled in traditional charred-oak casks in 2017, aging for four years before being transferred into new maple barrels. The maple casks were heavily toasted, but not charred, and this contributes a different character to the rye as it finished maturation in the new barrels. Think of the difference between a toasted marshmallow and one that’s been charred. Both can be good, but definitely different. 

The maple contributes a little bit of extra sweetness, but by no means does this spicy rye taste like other flavored whiskeys that actually have maple syrup added to them. The resulting 101-proof rye is subtle but delightful with notes of honey and buttery cinnamon toast.

Josh Phillips’ wife is Lexie Phillips, the assistant distiller at Jack Daniel’s. Her contribution of Toasted Barrel Finished Rye is #9 in the series. Since she’s the assistant distiller, Lexie got to dig a little deeper in the rickhouses, pulling barrels of 2014 rye that had five years of aging before transferring into new oak barrels in 2019 for an extra three years. Although the barrels were made from a different wood, they were toasted and not charred similarly to Josh’s selections.

The extra time in oak adds more caramel and wood to this 101-proof rye, ironically making it a little more masculine in character. By that, I mean elements of wood, leather and dark molasses make for a delightful sipper or a fantastic base to a good Manhattan made with Carpano Antica. Both of these new old ryes are available in 375-milliliter bottles for a SRP of $41.99 after tax, beginning at the White Rabbit Bottle Shop at the Jack Daniel Distillery and in select stores in Tennessee.

The next delivery from my friendly FedEx driver was a bottle of Barrell Vantage from Barrell Craft Spirits. BCS is known for procuring excellent spirits and making them even more special thanks to their talented blenders. Vantage is another product that showcases the difference that can arise from various types of wood used in the barrel-aging process.

Vantage is made using three straight whiskeys distilled in Tennessee, Kentucky and Indiana that were aged in three different types of virgin oak: Mizunara, French and toasted American oak casks. After aging, the whiskeys were blended and bottled at a little over 114 proof at an SRP of $89.99 for a 750-milliliter bottle.

Now, I’m not going to pretend to have a palate talented enough to isolate the characteristics imparted by each different type of wood, especially since I have no idea of the percentage of each barrel in the blend. But I can say that this is a remarkable bourbon, deeply complex and dimensional thanks to the combinations of woods and char levels.

For such a high proof, Barrel Vantage is surprisingly light on the nose, offering up delicate floral notes without the nostril-hair-singeing power you’d expect from the alcohol content. Light, creamy vanilla notes follow the first flowers, and the first attack on the tongue is fruity like peaches toasted on the grill followed by a long, complex finish that reveals the wood, caramel and vanilla you’d expect from the barrels. I rarely pour a second glass of a 110-plus-proof whiskey before bed, but this one absolutely required a return visit. It only got better over time. Maybe I should’ve saved a wee dram to share with my delivery guy.

The final special blend I’ve sampled recently comes courtesy of Kentucky Owl, the whiskey arm of Stoli Group. International ownership offers access to global collaboration opportunities, and the Kentucky Owl Takumi Edition Bourbon Whiskey takes full advantage of this.

Kentucky Owl’s master blender John Rhea got together with Yusuke Yahisa of Nagahama Distillery to create a blend of old and new, old-school Kentucky bourbon tempered with Japanese restraint. Rhea chose four different expressions of bourbon with varying mash bills and time in barrel to send to Yahisa to create a blend that reflected the style of the Japanese distillery.

The result is a whiskey that is basically impossible to re-create, a blend of 4-, 5-, 6- and 13-year-old Kentucky straight bourbons made with varying mash bills that feature the four main grains used in bourbon: corn, rye, wheat, and malted barley.

The Takumi Edition Bourbon is a blend of 4-, 5-, 6- and 13-year-old Kentucky straight bourbons with mash bills containing corn, rye or wheat, and malted barley. In less talented hands, this could have ended up a real mess, an melange of flavors that tastes like pressing “all” on a Freestyle fountain drink machine.

Instead, each grain has a chance to shine in this blend. The sweetness of the corn and the spice of the rye play nicely with the buttery wheat and slightly sour barley. The long finish alternates between sweet and savory with flashes of fruitiness that is quite unlike your traditional Kentucky bourbon. With an SRP of around $150, it had better be special, but if you’re looking for a whiskey that is both restrained and exciting at the same time and you’ve got a little discretionary cash burning a hole in your pocket, this might just be the treat you’re looking for!