This rare, sippin’ whiskey is made at Jack Daniel’s Distillery in Lynchburg, Tennessee, using pure cave spring water and a unique mellowing process perfected by Mr. Jack Daniel in 1866.
“Every day we make it, we’ll make it best we can.” That’s what Mr. Jack Daniel always promised. And Jack Daniel’s distillery is still living by his promise today.
Do you know?
Charcoal mellowing refers to a process used to make Tennessee whiskey, such as Jack Daniel's. The process involves slowly dripping the newly made whiskey through giant containers hard-packed with 10 feet of sugar maple charcoal. The process takes ten days, and during this time the whiskey absorbs the essence of the charcoal, refining the spirit and giving it a unique flavor and aroma.
As the whiskey ages, the whiskey barrels "breathe." Because of this phenomenon, somewhere between eight to ten percent of the alcohol volume will be lost to evaporation in the first year. A good whiskey is likely to lose approximately thirty percent of its original volume by the time it is ready for bottling.
Whiskey barrels for Jack Daniel’s are assembled from American White Oak, and that's because American White Oak just happens to have the right combination of compounds to create the tastiest whiskey. As the whiskey ages inside the barrel, the wood contracts and expands (as everything does) with changes in the surrounding climate. The whiskey is allowed to move in and out of the wood as this happens, and the exposed compounds mix with the whiskey. The mixing gives the whiskey a smoky flavor and an amber tint.