The hottest trend in whiskey right now? That would be American single malt. The ascendant style is on the cusp of being recognized as the first new official spirits category in the United States in decades. Small, independent distilleries that specialize in American single malt, like Virginia Distillery and Seattle's Westland Distillery, have driven this rise to legitimacy by creating the American Single Malt Whiskey Commission and petitioning the government for legal classification. And now that American single malt is on the verge of its big coming out party, the big boys are starting to get involved.
Earlier this year, James B. Beam Distilling Co. dove head-on into American single malt by releasing a brand-new brand dedicated to the craft: Clermont Steep. Jack Daniel's journey to single malt, by comparison, has been a bit more cautious. Toward the end of 2022, the Tennessee distillery released its first-ever single malt whiskey: Jack Daniel’s Twice Barreled Special Release American Single Malt. That whiskey was a limited release, and pretty tough to get a hold of. But now Jack Daniel's is adding an American single malt whiskey to its permanent collection for the first time — but it's still going to be a bit of a chore to snag a bottle. Here's everything you need to know.
How to buy Jack Daniel’s American Single Malt
There will be no journeys to the liquor store to pick up a bottle of JD ASM. Instead, the new Tennessee single malt is available only at duty-free stores in airports around the world. So if you want to try Jack Daniel's take on single malt you're going to need an airplane ticket.
The whiskey is made from 100% malted barley that's been ground, fermented and distilled in Lynchburg, TN. It's then matured (there is no age statement) in new, charred American oak barrels and finished in Oloroso sherry casks. The whiskey is set to be sold in a big ol' 1-liter bottle with a suggested retail price of $100.
What Jack Daniel’s American Single Malt tastes like
I haven't gone to an airport this week, but I do write about whiskey for a living, so I was able to get my hands on a sample of Jack Daniel's American Single Malt Whiskey. Here are my impressions. It's pretty viscous stuff, with long legs that cling to the glass. The color is pretty dark amber, exhibiting a bit of a reddish hue, no doubt a result of the sherry cask finish. On the nose, I detect lots of caramel, raisin and oak — a dark and warm smell that makes me think this will be an excellent fall whiskey.
Even though this whiskey is made from 100 percent malted barley and thus has a vastly different mashbill than Jack Daniel's Old No. 7, I still detect a healthy dose of that distinct Jack Daniel's note on the palate — maybe it's the distillery's trademark charcoal filtering process, which this whiskey has undergone, or maybe it's all in my head. Regardless, fans of typical JD will probably like this as well. Outside of that, this is a pretty sweet whiskey, and tastes nothing like a peated Scotch if that's what you envision upon hearing "single malt." The flavor is full of chocolate, dark fruits like raisins and prunes, a touch of oak and a nice sherry finish that dissipates pretty quickly.
Comparing Jack Daniel's American Single Malts
So how does this new Jack Daniel's ASM compare to the limited release we saw last year? That too was distilled from the same mashbill, obviously, and it was also finished in Oloroso sherry casks. The only discernible difference, at least on the surface, is in their strengths. The new duty-free ASM clocks in at an approachable 90 proof, while the 2022 Special Release had a cask strength ranging from 106.1 – 107.8 proof. I actually had a sample of last year's on hand, so I was able to compare the two (for science).
The 2022 release is definitely sharper on the nose, and less sweet-smelling. On the palate, it's again very similar to the new release, just stronger. All of the same flavors are there, but there's more of an alcohol bite, more burn and the finish sticks around for longer. It's excellent, but I see why JD opted to cut the proof down a bit to make the single malt more approachable to the curious shopper traveling to their gate.
The new Jack Daniel's American Single Malt rolls out at select airports around the globe starting this month.
