For those who aren’t incredibly familiar with bonded whiskey (which is understandable due to its rarity in recent years), it’s a mark of regulation that derived from the Bottled-in-Bond Act in 1897 which was the very earliest initiative to establish some sort of legal standard for the American spirit. Under these rules, the whiskey must be aged for four years in a federally bonded warehouse under U.S. Government supervision. The liquor must also come entirely from a single distillery, be the product of a single distilling season, and be bottled at 100 proof.
Jack Daniel’s has just debuted its first two bottles in its Bonded Series, a new premium line extension by the Tennessee distillery — its first in 25 years. The latest release consists of the new Bonded Tennessee Whiskey and Triple Mash Blended Straight Whiskey, both coming from hand-selected barrels and both following the stringent bottled-in-bond guidelines.
The regular Bonded label comes from a mashbill of 80% corn, 12% malted barley, and 8% rye, and features notes of oak, dark brown sugar, and cooked fruit, giving way to warm baking spices and a smoky finish. The Triple Mash, on the other hand, combines three different straight whiskies: Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Rye (60%), Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey (20%), and Jack Daniel’s American Malt (20%). The higher rye content gives this bottle more of a grain spice, rounded out with a honey sweetness with a browned bread and char finish.
Both Jack Daniel’s Bonded Whiskey and Jack Daniel’s Triple Mash Blended Straight Whiskey will be sold at select retailers in the coming weeks and are currently available for pre-order on ReserveBar.
