Barrel Picking at Jack Daniel's Distillery

The Jack Daniel's Distillery Welcome Center

Yesterday, I had the pleasure of visiting the Jack Daniel’s Distillery in Lynchburg, Tennessee, thanks to the kind folks at Neil’s Liquors in Middleton, Wisconsin. It was a solo pick, meaning that it was just me. I’ll tell you more about the experience, but first, I wanted to talk about the barrels I selected (since this may interest some folks the most).

You should know that I am fully prepared to walk away from any barrel pick if nothing meets my standards because I am literally putting my reputation on the line. I shared my expectations with the staff. I sampled from three barrels of Tennessee Whiskey and another three of American Rye.

I started with the Tennessee Whiskey. My choice was easy – the first barrel was stupendous, and while the other two were good, neither was in the same universe.

Signing the Tennessee Whiskey Barrel

Whiskey Type: Tennessee Whiskey
Age: 6 years (19D01) in Warehouse 101
Mashbill: 80% corn, 8% rye, 12% malted barley
Cooperage: 53-gallon, new charred oak barrel
Alcohol Content: 66.45% ABV (132.9°)

Nose: I smelled caramel, cherries, fried plantains, oak, and cinnamon. When I drew the air through my lips, I encountered ripe bananas.

Palate: I found the mouthfeel oily. The front tasted of brown sugar, vanilla, and butterscotch. On my mid-palate, there were cherries, bananas, and cinnamon. The back included clove, toffee, and toasted oak.

Finish: I was shocked when Jessica told me the proof; I would have guessed somewhere between 110° and 115°. The finish was long – it sat in my lower throat and upper chest with clove, char, oak, and bananas.

Next came the American Rye, which was more challenging. I had two delicious samples and one that was so generically on-profile that there was no point in considering it. I went with the one that was more unusual (but in a fantastic way).

Signing the American Rye Barrel

Whiskey Type: American Rye
Age: 8 years (16G12) in Coy Hill’s Warehouse 113
Mashbill: 70% rye, 18% corn, 12% malted barley
Cooperage: 53-gallon, new, charred oak barrel
Alcohol Content: 65.85% ABV (131.7°)

Nose: The aroma was atypical of any American Rye I’ve encountered. It consisted of powdered sugar, Double Bubble bubblegum, and brown sugar. Inhaling through my mouth brought rich vanilla.

Palate: The dense, creamy texture greeted my tongue and throat. Flavors of chocolate, caramel, and pastries crossed the front of my palate. Midway through, I tasted nutmeg, spiced nuts, and coffee, while the back featured cinnamon Red Hots, rye spice, and, the craziest of all things, vanilla cake frosting.

Finish: Long and lingering, the finish consisted of brown sugar, cinnamon and rye spices, vanilla frosting, and coffee. This one drank about 10 proof points below the stated proof.

Now, remember that things may change slightly depending on how long Jack Daniel’s takes to dump the barrels. That’s not usually something that happens on the same day, week, or perhaps even the same month. I’m also unsure as to when these will be available for purchase.

The Distillery and Picking Experience

I was told to check in at 8:55am and that it would last about two-and-a-half hours. What I didn’t realize was there is a private tour scheduled before the picks. That was a pleasant surprise because I wanted to tour the facility. Some folks prefer to skip the tour and get straight to the barrel picking. I can safely say that no matter how often I’ve toured distilleries and listened to the tour guides, I’ve always walked away with something new.

As I waited in the Visitor’s Center, I shot a video of the Jack Daniel’s timeline.

My tour guide was Bob T. All he knew about me was that I was there for a pick. He asked me various questions and learned that I had some knowledge of how things worked; it went from a standard tour to the geeked-out version.

There are several instances where cameras were not allowed, not to protect any secrets but rather to avoid igniting any alcohol fumes that persist throughout the facility. As such, I wasn’t able to document everything.

Bob took me to the charring station where the maple pallets are turned to charcoal used in the Lincoln County Process (LCP). He told me that the process is done only on an as-needed basis. I had an opportunity to chat with the two gentlemen doing the charring, and what they do is skilled labor – you just can’t set the pallets down and set them on fire. Close attention is paid to ensure that burning is even, turned, and properly cooled. The desire is to have charcoal that is the size of pea gravel.

The charcoal-making process

Making the charcoal

As we strolled around the campus, we found the limestone cave where Jack Daniel first harvested the spring water for his whiskey. That is still the water source for the whiskey today (although they don’t use it to run the facility).

The cave where Jack Daniel's sources its limestone spring water

And, in front of that spring, is a larger-than-life statue of Jack Daniel (he was only 5’2, and I’m 6’0). The statue is called “Jack on the Rocks,” which is a tongue-in-cheek joke, but that’s its real name.

Jack and Whiskeyfellow "On The Rocks"

Remember how I said I like to go on tours because I always learn something new? Here’s my big walkaway. One of the most fascinating things about the tour was showing me the LCP. I’ve read about it many times and written about it a few times, but I’ve never seen it up close and personally.

When you write about whiskey, you understand that the industry uses many undefined terms for marketing purposes. I’ve always heard (or read) the description as allowing the whiskey to drip through maple charcoal. I figured dripping was a figure of speech, and they just dumped whiskey on top, and it flowed through. Nope. The whiskey really does enter the charcoal filter drop by drop, somewhat like a drip hose for gardening or agriculture.

Unfortunately, the charcoal filtering facility is one of those where cameras aren’t allowed.

In a pleasant surprise, Nearest Green and his family were part of the tour. There’s even a warehouse named after George Green. If you don’t know the story of Uncle Nearest, it is a fascinating one (I wrote a review of Fawn Weaver’s biography of him), and there are still descendants of his working at the distillery today.

George Green Barrel House

We looked at the equipment you’d typically see in a working distillery, including the stills, mash tuns, fermenting tanks, etc. I didn’t snap photos as those were restricted places. Bob also showed me the instrument of Jack Daniel’s death, which was very long, drawn out, and painful. It had to do with a safe in his office, but it wasn’t dropped on him. You’ll have to visit the distillery to learn more.

Bob was a fantastic tour guide, and I genuinely enjoyed my time with him. He then handed me off to Jessica; she is a Quality Control Supervisor and one of the barrel-picking hosts.

Jessica, my picking facilitator

Jessica was fantastic. Essentially, she asked how I wanted to conduct the sampling. I explained that I’d rather not talk about nosing or tasting notes until after each sample to avoid subliminal influencing. She asked me what my process was, and I went through my weird stuff (like resetting my palate and olfactory sense, inhaling the vapor through my mouth, etc.). Since she was big on sensory experiences, she appreciated what I showed her – I even taught her something new. We chatted a lot about various things, including how we got started with whiskey.

This is me in front of the tasting set-up

After the tour and barrel picking, I went to lunch at Miss Mary Bobo’s, just down the street and owned by Jack Daniel’s. The restaurant is housed inside Miss Mary Bobo’s former boarding house. When you check-in, you’re assigned a room, and each room has its own family-style table. If you’re unfamiliar with family-style dining, basically all the food is presented, and you can choose what you want to put on your plate.

Lunch was all-you-can-eat, and the menu changes daily (it is always some version of southern fare), so your experience may differ each time you visit. Each room is set up differently as well. We were in the Toller Room, which had a huge round table with a lazy susan.

Here’s the cool thing: You are at a table with people you may or may not know. But one of the folks eating with you is a host who works at Miss Mary Bobo’s. Not only does she facilitate the conversation by providing a brief history about the boarding house, but our host grew up in Lynchburg and revealed stories about how things changed over the years (I could be wrong, but I assumed she was in her eighties).

My experience was just delightful from start to finish. On my Bottle, Bar, or Bust scale, the tour, the barrel selection experience, and Miss Mary Bobo’s all hit that Bottle rating. Cheers!

Below are some random photos I didn’t know where to place.