By James Atkinson
Brown-Forman Australia is hopeful of receiving further allocations of Jack Daniel's small batch products following an overwhelming response to last week's release of Jack Daniel's Unaged Tennessee Rye.
Brown-Forman Australia senior brand manager Matt Harada told TheShout the Unaged Rye represents the outpost's first successful attempt to get small batch products out of the US.
"They're typically sold only out of Lynchburg or duty free in the US and it's really the first time they've allowed a global market to participate in that," he said.
"How quickly we sold out of that – it was gone in literally days – is a positive sign that there's enough demand that we can keep asking those questions."
"We're now the second largest market outside the US for Jack Daniel's, and so obviously if a global market is going to get it, we want to be first in the line," Harada said.
Just 200 cases of the Unaged Rye were made available to Australia. An exploration into the intriguing flavour drawn from premium rye, the limited edition offering features a unique grain bill containing 70 percent rye, 18 percent corn and 12 percent barley malt.
The mash is fermented, distilled and charcoal-mellowed like all other Jack Daniel's blends, then bottled at 40 per cent ABV.
Harada said upcoming limited edition releases from Jack Daniel's include a rye whiskey, as well as the first in a series of seven Master Distiller's Editions, which will each be dedicated to one of Jack Daniel's seven master distillers, starting with Jack Daniel's.
Jack Daniel's current master distiller, Jeff Arnett, said: "Rye has always been part of the Jack Daniel's Old No. 7 grain bill, but it has never been the lead grain until now."
"This carefully crafted small batch of rye is a chance to taste the unaged spirit appreciating what the grain adds before the spirit draws its flavour from the barrel," he said.
"We hope our friends will enjoy sipping it just as much as we enjoyed making it."
Jack Daniel's Unaged Tennessee Rye has an RRP $130.00.