Crafting Jack Daniel’s: They do things a little differently at Jack Daniel’s – and that’s what gives Jack Daniel’s its distinctive character. They Charcoal Mellow their whiskey drop by drop, then let it age in their own handcrafted barrels. And they don’t follow a calendar. Their Tennessee Sippin’ Whiskey is ready only when their tasters say it is. They use their senses, just like Jack Daniel himself did. In fact, more than a century later, their Tennessee Whiskey is still judged the same way. By the way it looks. By the way it smells. And of course, by the way it tastes.

Why they charcoal mellow: Jack Daniel believed "Every day we make it, we'll make it the best we can." For him, that meant mellowing his whiskey drop by drop through ten feet of sugar maple charcoal.

How they charcoal mellow: Seven generations later, they still mellow their whiskey just as Mr. Jack did. The reason is simple: it imparts a distinctive smoothness folks have come to expect from Jack Daniel's. Charcoal Mellowing makes Jack Daniel's what it is – a Tennessee Whiskey and not a Bourbon. It refines their whiskey's rich flavour even before they fully mature it in barrels of their own making. Yes, it's a painstaking process that demands extra attention and makes their whiskey a bit more costly to craft. But Mr. Jack wouldn't have it any other way. Neither would we.

A mature taste: We all know age isn’t the same thing as maturity. It’s true of people and it’s true of whiskey. Experience determines maturity. It’s what a whiskey experiences while inside the barrel and not simply how long it’s been there that gives it the rich colour, character, and taste that we call mature. Mellowing their whiskey through ten feet of sugar maple charcoal, crafting their own barrels, and placement in the barrelhouse—each contributes to how their whiskey matures. Age by itself isn’t a reliable measure of a whiskey’s quality and character. Which is why their tasters tell them when the whiskey is ready. They judge its quality the same way you do – with a sip.

Not just any barrel. Their barrel: An important part of making their quality whiskey is making a quality barrel. That’s why they devote the same care and attention to barrel making as they do to making Jack Daniel’s itself. They start by selecting the very best white oak for the barrel staves. Their craftsmen fit the staves together by hand, then carefully toast and char the inside of the barrel to caramelise the wood’s natural sugars. It’s from the toasted oak that the whiskey draws its rich amber colour, distinctive flavour, and finish. They entrust their whiskey only to new white oak. The barrel’s quality is so important to them that are the only distiller who goes to the extra effort and expense to craft their own.

Luck No. 7: Many stories have been passed down about the significance of Old No. 7. Some say that Jack Daniel had 7 girlfriends, or that the way he wrote his “J” looked like a 7. Some say he chose the number 7 simply because it’s lucky. Only Mr. Jack knows the real reason. Either way, we consider ourselves lucky that he created Jack Daniel’s the way he did.