Jack unveils new Distillery Series release

Jack Daniel’s Distillery Series Selection #15 is a high-proof Sweet Mash Tennessee Whiskey

11:03 a.m. Sept. 22, 2025

DUANE CROSS
MCO Publisher•Editor

Jack Daniel’s is putting a twist on tradition with the newest addition to its experimental Distillery Series. On Monday, the iconic Tennessee whiskey maker announced the release of Distillery Series Selection #15: Sweet Mash Tennessee Straight Whiskey, a limited-edition expression aged nearly nine years in the company’s Tract 2 barrelhouses.

While Jack Daniel’s is best known for its classic sour mash process, the sweet mash technique plays a small but important role at the distillery each year. At the start of every season, before a sour mash “setback” is established, the first grains are cooked with fresh yeast, water, and grain alone – producing what distillers call a sweet mash. This rare whiskey, usually made in small runs, now takes center stage in the latest release.

The whiskey features Jack Daniel’s familiar grain bill, comprising 80 percent corn, 12 percent malted barley, and 8 percent rye. Barreled in 2016 and aged in new charred oak, the spirit matured on the warm top floors of the distillery’s warehouses before being bottled at a robust 117 proof.

Master Distiller Chris Fletcher said the release highlights the flexibility of the Lynchburg operation. “Our Distillery Series has experimented with every step in the whiskey-making process from grain bill to barreling, and this release showcases yet another lever that we can pull and tweak,” he explained.

“What excites me about this release is the complexity and richness that has emerged from a little extra time in the right places in our barrelhouses.”

Tasting notes for the Sweet Mash Tennessee Straight Whiskey include rich butterscotch with undertones of pecan, berry, and caramel. The selection was handpicked by Whiskey Taster and Quality Control Manager Kathy Thurmond.

The whiskey will be sold exclusively in Tennessee and at Lynchburg’s White Rabbit Bottle Shop in 375ml bottles for $44.99.

For Jack Daniel’s enthusiasts, the release offers a rare opportunity to experience the distillery’s long-running sweet mash tradition in a bottle.