The Club spoke to Jeff Arnett, master distiller for Jack Daniels, about whiskey drinkers, what sets Jack Daniels apart from its competitors, and the town of Lynchburg, Tennessee

How did you first get involved in the drinks industry, and how did you learn about whiskey?
My first job was in the coffee business; I then moved to a company that made juice drinks, and then to one that made salted snacks. So I had worked in the food and beverage industry for over ten years before coming to Jack Daniel's. I started as a quality control manager in 2001, and learned about whiskey here. This is probably the best place in the world to learn about whiskey – from people whose families have been making it for generations.

What goes into the creation of your typical barrel of Jack Daniel's?
It’s all natural; there’s nothing artificial at all in there. The barrel is made from all new American white oak that we have fashioned into a barrel ourselves. For the whiskey itself we use cave spring water, corn, malted barely and rye. Then we add yeast, and after fermenting and distilling the alcohol, it is then slowly dripped through ten feet of hard sugar maple charcoal, a process called charcoal mellowing.

Has the way people drink whiskey changed over the years?
Bourbon largely built its reputation in cocktails: The Old Fashioned and the Manhattan and so on. If anything has changed, I think it’s that the quality of bourbons has improved; it is now seen as an equivalent to Scotch and the older whiskies. So people are more likely to be drinking Bourbon neat, or with just a little bit of water or ice, than they would have done 50 years ago. 

What is it that you think makes Jack Daniel's such a popular spirit?
If you compare Jack Daniel's to its competitors, many of the flavours you find in the other whiskies tend to be an acquired taste. But when many people taste Jack Daniel's for the first time they say: “This actually tastes good.” And it goes well with a coke, which makes the entry into Jack Daniel's very easy.

Jack Daniel's is quite an iconic brand. Does that make bringing in new products or making changes more of a challenge?
Putting the Jack Daniel's name on a label clearly helps people trust it. But I think that alongside the popularity of our name, the expectation is raised. When we come out with something new, people expect it to be good. So our brand helps us sell new products, but at the same time it forces us to be much more diligent in making sure that we’re making a good decision when we’re creating something new.

How important do you think Jack Daniel's is to the town of Lynchburg?
If you visit Lynchburg, you can see that it’s very much the lifeblood of the town. In fact, I’m not certain that there would be a Lynchburg without the distillery. It’s a very quaint town; it has a courthouse and a square, and nice cafes and shops that surround it. But the distillery and Lynchburg are definitely tied together; you wouldn’t have one without the other.

Can the public visit the distillery and if so, what can they expect from their visit?
Yes, they can. Our tours run from 9am to 4.30 pretty much every day but for major holidays. The tours take about an hour and a half, and even though this is a dry town, distilleries are allowed to do sampling tours. So people can expect to sample products that we make here as part of that tour. This is our only distillery, so you can literally see where every single drop of Jack Daniel's is made.

Find out more about visiting the Jack Daniel's Distillery, and book your tour, click here

Have an opinion on The Club that you’d like to share? Let us know

This article has been tagged Advertorial, Food + Drink