Meet Jack Daniel’s New 148.8-Proof Tanyard Hill Rye…

When Jack Daniel’s bottles a high-proof whiskey, it swings for the fences. The latest release in its Single Barrel Special Release Series is no exception. Tanyard Hill Rye rounds out the distillery’s 2025 lineup with a bang, showcasing barrels of Tennessee rye ranging from 130.2 to an eye-popping 148.8 proof.

The expression started with Jack Daniel’s standard rye mash bill of 70% rye, 18% corn, and 12% malted barley. As with all Jack Daniel’s whiskey, the fresh distillate was filtered through sugar maple charcoal, a process known as the Lincoln County Process. Barrels were filled in November 2015 and aged in one of four warehouses located on the Tanyard Hill campus of the distillery. These warehouses, built in the early 1960s, are situated in an area that experiences particularly hot summers and cold winters — an ideal environment for aging high-proof whiskey.

Tanyard Hill Rye follows the distillery’s acclaimed (and also high proof) Coy Hill releases. These bottlings featured the standard Tennessee whiskey mash bill (80% corn, 8% rye, 12% malted barley) in uncut and single barrel form, with national releases in 2021 and 2024. A set of distillery-only Small Batch Coy Hill releases hit all-time high ABVs for the distillery, with some bottles eclipsing 155 proof.

Indeed, the Tanyard Hill and Coy Hill lines share similar pedigrees for high-octane whiskey. The two locations are situated right next to each other in Lynchburg, Tennessee.

“The Special Release series has been a great way for us to showcase our craft of whiskey making here in Lynchburg,” Chris Fletcher, Jack Daniel’s master distiller, said in a statement. “We’re fortunate to have barrel houses at so many unique locations that produce deep, rich, and complex whiskeys. Like Coy Hill was before, Tanyard Hill has been one of the hidden gems for locals familiar with the distillery grounds. We’re now bringing more people into this secret and can’t wait to see what our friends think of this special Tennessee Rye Whiskey.”

Fletcher tells Food & Wine the barrels for the Tanyard Hill release were earmarked shortly after they were filled nearly 10 years ago. “We have been considering these specific rye barrels for years. It was fun to keep pushing the flavor on the top floor for this long,” he said. “Our distillers are very consistent putting whiskey into our barrels; the variation really gets down to individual barrels and, of course, their location. The fun part of our Special Releases is trying to magnify the impact barrelhouse location can make.”

The brand’s official tasting notes for Tanyard Hill Rye include aromas of dark fruit and sweet oak. The palate features “candied mint, dark chocolate, and layers of baking spice” before a finish big on clove and sweet tobacco.

The Tanyard Hill single barrels aren’t the only way for drinkers to experience Jack Daniel’s Rye at barrel strength. In 2023, the distillery added Single Barrel Barrel Proof Rye to its permanent lineup. But Tanyard Hill’s location, combined with almost a decade of aging, resulted in a distinctly potent series of barrels that fans can now try for the first time. (Jack Daniel’s rye is typically aged between six and eight years, and barrel proof rarely exceeds 140.)

Special Release Tanyard Hill Rye will be a limited nationwide release beginning October 2025. The 700-milliliter bottles are priced at a suggested retail price of $80, which is the same MSRP as 2024’s Coy Hill Barrelhouse 8 release.