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Jack Daniel’s Currently ‘Working On’ 12-Year-Old Whiskey Says Master Distiller Chris Fletcher

If you are a fan of Jack Daniel’s 10-Year-Old Tennessee Whiskey, you’ll be excited to hear that a 12-Year-Old Tennessee Whiskey is in the works. In September 2021, Jack Daniel’s released the brand’s first age-stated whiskey in more than 100 years with the Jack 10-Year.

Retailing for about $70 (750mL), Jack’s 10-Year has been well-received by most accounts, with BreakingBourbon.com noting it was “well above average.” Bottled at 97 proof, the 10-Year is a maturation of Jack’s iconic Old No.7, which ages in oak barrels for about 4 to 5 years. The 10-Year was aged on the top floors of Jack’s barrel house (aka the Buzzard’s Roost) for eight years, before being moved to lower levels to complete the process. Approximately 24,000 bottles were released from around 200 barrels in 2021.

The biggest complaint about Jack’s 10-Year has been its scarcity on the market, with secondary buyers routinely “jacking up” the selling price to outrageous sums. However, we’ve got some good news on two fronts. First, Jack Daniel’s plans to release another 10-Year Whiskey in 2022. Second, an age-stated 12-Year-Old Whiskey is in the works.

Age-Stated Whiskey

Before he died in 1911, Jack Daniel released age-stated whiskeys of 10, 12, 14, 18, and 21 years.

Outsider recently sat down with Jack Daniel’s master distiller Chris Fletcher in Lynchburg, Tennessee, to ask him a few questions, sample some whiskey, and take a behind-the-scenes tour.

One of Chris’ most exciting revelations was that he hoped to recreate many of Jack’s aforementioned age-stated whiskeys. In fact, Chris revealed that his team is currently “working on” a 12-year whiskey. In addition, Chris plans to released another Jack 10-Year in 2022.

“Absolutely. We’re working on [another Jack 10-Year],” said Chris Fletcher. “We’re working on it as we speak, actually. Looking at the barrels right now. Again, it will probably be a fall release. We work well in advance. We don’t want any surprises [laughing]. But we’re looking at that. And I think you’re also gonna see other future age-stated releases.”

Jack Daniel’s 12-Year-Old Whiskey

After Chris revealed plans for future age-stated releases, we had to press him on the rumor of a Jack Daniel’s 12-Year Whiskey hitting the market soon.

“Yes, we are working on it, absolutely, 100 percent,” said Chris Fletcher. “I would love to be able to sit here and tell you we are going to recreate the age-stated series that Mr. Jack himself made. That would certainly be an ultimate goal for me.

“But at the end of the day, we need to make sure that it’s right, and we’re doing it the right way. And we are prepared to put in the work to try to get it there because I think that collection of whiskeys and that representation of our whiskey from Lynchburg, now, and especially in this current environment of American whiskey, I think people would just be so excited to try and see different expressions of Jack Daniel’s. And things with different proofs, and different ages and different flavor profiles that we can create. Again, that gets into the fun, innovation part, that more of the art, so to speak. And it’s exciting. So I hope we can have a nice collection of age-stated whiskeys in the future.”