DISCOVER THE JACK DANIEL’S & TENNESSEE WHISKEY SECRET, an article from Whisky Witness.com
Jack Daniel’s… It ’s not Bourbon; it’s not Whiskey, its Tennessee Whiskey!
Introducing the World’s Most Famous Whiskey - Jack Daniel’s may well be the world’s most famous whiskey! Can you think of a more well known whisky? It is the best selling American whiskey worldwide.
Where is it made?
Lynchburg, Moore County, Tennessee, USA.
But you can’t buy it there – it’s a Dry County?
The County of Moore is a dry county – the sale of alcohol is illegal, so you cannot buy Jack Daniels in the county where it is actually made! – (Except for limited commemorative bottles at the distillery thanks to a legal loophole)
Why does the bottle say “Sour Mash?”
A sour mash is the term used to produce a mash bill when a portion of a previously used mash bill is added into the next batch. The reason it is done is to maintain a consistent pH level (level of acidity).
What makes it Tennessee Whiskey?
Firstly it has to be made in Tennessee but legally that is not enough for it to be called Tennessee Whiskey! There are some very strict rules in place to protect this wonderful style of whiskey from being altered or compromised!
With Jack Daniels or any Tennessee Whiskey; essentially the distillation process is identical to Bourbon production: a grain mix of at least 51% corn is fermented, distilled and matured in new white American oak barrels which have been charred: but there is one massive difference which turns Bourbon into Tennessee Whiskey – the Lincoln County Process, Aka Charcoal Mellowing, which at Jack Daniel’s is know as the “Extra Blessing”!
The Lincoln County Process
Charcoal mellowing is known as the Lincoln County Process after the place where it began. The Lincoln County Process is very specific- distilled raw spirit, which will later be put into barrels to mature into Tennessee whiskey, is filtered through 10 feet of charcoal, and not just any charcoal- it must be hard sugar maple wood.
At Jack Daniels, they burn 5 ft high hard sugar maple planks down into charcoal, 3 times a day on three days of every week – that’s a lot of wood! And it burns at 2000 F!
After burning the charcoal is gathered and packed into vats and the raw spirit is trickled through, it takes 1 week for the spirit to get through.
What does Charcoal Mellowing do?
It imparts flavours of the charcoal into the wood – such as charcoal (obviously!) vanilla, smoke (but not peat smoke), caramel and maple. Experts will tell you that charcoal can do in a matter of days what the barrel will take a couple of years. The reason is because the spirit will have so much more contact with the charred wood by being passed through packed charcoal than it would by being left in the barrel – the surface area of the charcoal is much greater than that of the inside of the barrel.
Does Tennessee Whiskey Taste Different?
Yes! It rounds off some of the sweetness which bourbon is known for, it also removes some of the taste of corn and adds a greater amount of wood and smokiness – it tastes far more like whisky than a bourbon does –in fact imagine meeting half way between a scotch and a bourbon and you will have an idea. For exact tasting notes please see our review – click here
A Whiskey for Rock Stars
The world’s most famous whiskey, one of the most recognisable brands in the world, is also synonymous with Rock ‘n’ Roll! If I were to ask you what whiskey do rock stars drink? The world’s most famous whiskey comes to mind, it’s as American as Elvis, Route 66 and David Lee Roth. Jack Daniel's fans have included Motley, Van Halen and Drink it, Guns n’ Roses, the list goes on!
And don’t forget that the great state of Tennessee is the also the Home of County Music – Nashville Tennessee!
Quality?
You may sometimes hear whisky aficionados speaking ill of Jack Daniels, some will turn their noses up. Let me say 2 things – miss-conception & snobbery.
Jack Daniels is as pure as they come, it’s Tennessee whiskey to the letter, the legal requirements of how Tennessee Whiskey must be made, are the exact same standards used by the Jack Daniel’s Distillery, therefore if you want a fine example of a Tennessee Whiskey- this is it!
Don’t confuse its popularity with a compromise in quality or uniqueness. America is an abundant land, there is no shortage of water, corn or wood; they make a lot of it because it is popular and it is popular because it is a dam fine Tennessee Whisky. To draw an analogy – take Guinness- it is produced on a gargantuan scale, but there is no compromise on quality. Such products are rare, but Jack Daniels is one of them.
When sipping Jack Daniel’s I would advise drinking it neat, not even ice, smell first, slowly, then take a sip, hold it in your mouth for a good 5 seconds or more and I guarantee that you will gain an appreciation for how smooth it really is. It is wonderful stuff.
Quantity
In 2013 the distillery sold over 11 million cases, a case of whiskey has 6 bottles, so that is 66 million bottles. That is a lot of whisky, over 10 million gallons!
Maturity does not always come with age!
Jack Daniel’s has always been an NAS whiskey – no age statement. The reason is that the barrels in the warehouse age at different rates- barrels stored up high experience higher temperatures and age faster, plus the barrels are rotated, one year may be hotter than the last, there could be greater fluctuations across the seasons from one year in comparison to another. Hence the master tasters taste the various barrels and they decide when a barrel is ready for bottling.
Interesting fact:
American whiskies such as this mature faster than Scotch and Irish because of higher summer temperatures and greater seasonal fluctuations in weather. The changes force a greater amount of interaction between spirit and the barrel.
History
Jack Daniel founded the distillery in 1886, he was a perfectionist and his whiskey was a reflection of this and the recipe has not changed since those days. Lynchburg spring water, local corn, rye and barley, fresh American white oak and of course sweet maple charcoal!
Jack Daniel’s has many uses!
From BBQ sauces to Tabasco production, Jack Daniel’s is used far and wide.
How to enjoy Jack Daniel’s
Jack Daniel’s can be enjoyed in an almost infinite number of ways, neat, on the rocks, in cocktails, with mixers.
I Hope you enjoyed our little piece on Jack Daniel’s, hopefully we dispelled a few myths and gave you a few nuggets of information to add to your whiskey wisdom!
Happy dramming!
Whiskywitness.com