I Don’t Know Jack: Heritage Edition. Jack Daniels Twice Barreled Rye VS. Jack Daniels Single Barrel Heritage Tennessee Whiskey

Tally-ho Tennessee Tater Team. Today we are reviewing and comparing two JD offerings that proudly tout the "Heritage Barrel" moniker. When I first heard of the JD Twice Barreled Rye, I thought the  Heritage Barrel (HB) designation was some kind of marketing copy to mean little more than "In the old tradition". Little did I know that this was a specific term denoting a specific type of barrel-charring process which involves toasting a barrel before lightly charring it. Apparently this is how JD used to make their barrels back in the olden days and presumably, this might be one of the reasons why the JD we know and love tends to have its trademark sweet flavor profile. Currently, JD owns its own cooperage in Alabama and they are able to re-create this HB style for these releases. It's no secret that I absolutely adore the twice barreled rye, but when I heard about this HB single barrel whiskey, I thought this was a new release. I was wrong again, the HB single barrel whiskey has been released originally in 2018 and very proudly featured that it was aged on Coy Hill. We have a 2025 release that just hit the market and I wanted to put it up against the only other HB bottle I've ever come across, the Twice Barreled Rye. Something to note is that reports indicate that the barrel entry proof is 100 for each of these. This is more of a tandem review to see if I can pick out some common elements between the two distillates which may clarify what the HB actually adds to the juice that is unique. Enough background, let's get into it!

Methodology: Sampled neat in glencairns rested for the length of time it takes to ascend Coy Hill

First up is the JD Twice Barreled Rye. This was released in 2023 and very interestingly displays its barrel entry dates for each of its two barrel entries! This is the creme de la creme for nerds like us! The sequence for this release is that it was aged in new charred barrels and then aged in the HB.The distillate is the JD rye that we all know and love. 

The Deets: 

Proof: 100

1st Barrel Entry Date: 3/13/15

2nd Barrel Entry Date: 11/18/20

Bottling Date: 7/12/23

Bottle No: HBR- 01755

Appearance: Rich hazelnut brown with roasted auburn

Nose: pure cream soda. I really cannot get enough of nosing this

Mouthfeel: on the lighter side but with a nice syrupy elixir 

Palate: Whoo boy! This opens with light playful cream and marshmallow then gently segways into minty mocha and coffee notes heaped on with sweet cream and rich, decadent butterscotch and leaves with a smooth caramel amaretto. I am in love. 

Finish: Peppermint mocha creamer and coffee that lasts and lasts. I seriously don't want this to end! 

Overall: It is no secret that I love this bottle. It might very well be my favorite rye because it is so unique. I don't think I've ever had this combination of herbaceousness and sweetness together. Generally, I like my ryes barrel strength, big bold and boozy, but in this case, I'm not so sure all this nuanced goodness would showcase itself if this were much higher proof. Still, I think maybe we could have done well with 112 or so. This is almost perfect and I give it an enthusiastic 9/10. 

Next up is the newcomer, the Single Barrel HB Tennessee whiskey 2025 Release. This unfortunately no longer has a "Rick No" printed along the neck so I doubt this a "Coy Hill". From a packaging perspective it no longer has the label printed on the bottle itself, instead opting for a paper label. This was bottled 7/17/2025, which was exactly 2 weeks (14 days ago) as I write this, and it's the closest I've ever come to having a whiskey straight from the barrel to my glen (that wasn't barreled by me). Let's get it!

The Deets: 

Proof: 100

Bottling Date: 7/17/2025

Barrel Entry Date: 7/7/2017

Barrel No: 25-05078

Appearance: Rich dark mahogany brown again with some auburn reddish hues. 

Nose: cream soda again! 

Mouthfeel: Lighter than the twice barreled rye, but still decently syrupy and coats nicely 

Palate: Big hits of sweet cream and caramel up front but then quickly takes a turn for dark molasses and chocolate chip cookie breadiness. The mid palate is all dark toasted raisin bread and wraps up with a slight bitter hit of semi-sweet chocolate. 

Finish: semi sweet chocolate chips and cinnamon bun that is medium in length and quite nice. 

Overall: Ok this is not as complex as the twice barreled rye, but it is a really strong entry for a single barrel offering. This is wildly unique for a 100 proof jack daniels product that came out of a single barrel and only relies on the charring methodology of its barrel to set it apart. It doesn't quite live up to the rye and due to its low proof and lack of crazy unique notes, it gets a solid 8/10. 

The HB's are doing what all good toasted barrels do and impart the unique sweetness and roundness that we all know and love about toasted barrels. In the case of the rye, I think the first barreling mellows out the whiskey and removes any bitterness and the second HB barreling makes it come alive! I would be super interested to see a twice barreled TN whiskey in the same vein as a follow-up to this single barrel which is very enjoyable! 

Seeing that I'm something of a scientist myself, I blended the two together 50:50 to make a thrice barreled bourye and this is pretty unreal. The sweet caramel notes are pumped up to 11, but it needs something to cut it. I reallllly could use more proof on this to make it an all-time favorite and to balance it and give the blend a 8.5/10 because it's a bit too sweet without enough bite. 

So there you have it, do these two bottles show that JD is the Jack of all trades or did my review prove that I don't know Jack? Let's discuss! 
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