WE HOLD CHARCOAL IN A HIGHER REGARD

Starting a massive fire would get you in a heap of trouble at most jobs. But at the Jack Daniel Distillery, it’s an essential part of what we do. If we didn’t start with fire, we wouldn’t get the fine smooth sippin’ Tennessee Whiskey that follows.

Three days a week, three times a day, we stack pallets of hard sugar maple five feet high and douse them in raw unaged whiskey before setting the wood ablaze. It might seem like a waste of perfectly good whiskey, but we don’t see anything as a waste when it comes to making Jack Daniel’s. The inferno peaks at over 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit before burning down into smoldering embers. These pellets are then raked over until finally cool and ready to slowly mellow our Tennessee Whiskey.

The transformation of our whiskey into the Jack Daniel’s you know and love depends on setting fires, but also on having a long-lasting supply of sugar maple to burn. As part of our commitment to sustainability, we continue to make strides towards protecting and replenishing our sugar maple trees for generations to come. Find out more about how we’re doing just that.