Each bottle of Jack Daniel's Single Barrel is hand- labelled with its barrel number, giving whiskey connoisseurs the opportunity to detect the subtle differences a barrel brings to the whiskey. Jimmy Bedford, Jack Daniel's sixth Master Distiller, has been making whiskey a long time. As an official taste-tester he is the man who decides which barrels should become Jack Daniel's Single Barrel.
Background: Nestled the hills above the Jack Daniel's Hollow stand the weather worn barrel-houses where Jack Daniel's whiskey waits until it comes of age. It's here, within this plain, unassuming structure that a bit of magic takes place with the passing seasons. Summer after summer, the pores of the oak barrels open up, allowing a bit of whiskey to slowly seep in. Then with each winter's chill, the grain contracts, forcing the whiskey from the wood. Passing in and out the charred oak interior of the barrel, the whiskey is imbued with the rich amber colour, the natural caramelized sugars and the subtle flavours that give Jack Daniel's its distinctive, time-honoured taste. Because no two barrels and the place they occupy within the warehouse are the same, the whiskey that emerges from each barrel boasts a difference in character. For years, these nuances in taste and colour and character were something only the master distillers, stretching back to Mr. Jack Daniel, were privileged to enjoy. But today as each barrel of whiskey is sampled as it comes of age, the current master distiller, Jimmy Bedford, sets a few aside. They're the ones with the smoothest taste and most intense flavours. The few destined for something special - to be sold, one barrel at a time, to the more discriminating customers. |
