Around the Barrel with Jack Daniel's

Working with a spirit of innovation involves a constant process of unlearning and relearning. You want to refine what has worked in the past and trim away what is not needed within your new process. When you lay that new template over the business of whiskey production, you also have to factor in the idea of “hurry up and wait” before you can make more changes and move a new product into its final form. On this episode, we talk once again with Master Distiller Chris Fletcher about the brand-new global travel retail (GTR) product American Single Malt finished in Oloroso sherry casks, about how the word “single” doesn’t always correlate with the word “simple,” and about how this new endeavor just might bring about a new set of frequently asked questions, Around the Barrel.

It's been said that genius is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration. To develop an understanding of the genius of the spirits space, you’ve got to factor in distillation, fermentation and maybe a little repetition too. On this episode we talk with San Diego-based whiskey influencer Sarah Jeltema, the woman behind the social media handle @whiskynomad, about how asking the right questions of bartenders and distillers spawned her current pursuits, about how the idea of service through spirits has made an impact on the world of first responders and about how sharing the science can enhance the enjoyment of sitting and sipping Around the Barrel.

As much as tradition is a component of what comes out of the Jack Daniel Distillery, the motto “Every day we make it, we’ll make it the best we can,” absolutely encompasses using new tools as they become available. On this episode, we talk with Melvin Keebler and Donna Willis, two key leaders on the Distillery’s operations team, about new technology the company is using to continue its sustainability climb, about how opportunities for changing processes can still benefit long-time partners who have been comfortable with the way things currently are and about how the wide world of whiskey needs geeks of all kinds, Around the Barrel.

If there’s anything the last three years have taught us, it’s to never overlook the chance to spend a little time away from home. On this episode, we talk with travel and spirits writer Brad Japhe about the state of American whiskey across a variety of ponds, about how patience is paramount whether it’s waiting for whiskey, barbecue or basketball, and about how both consistency and innovation are important pieces when it comes to what emerges from Around the Barrel.

Our enjoyment of so many things in this life tends to come about as a result of happy accidents. Then again, the creation of so many things, like whiskey, came about the same way. They can also emerge from putting aside one pursuit only to pick up another. On this episode, we talk with Matt Porter of the popular YouTube channel, ADHD Whiskey, about how putting down the fishing pole led him to picking up a tasting glass, about how chasing flavor isn’t always the key to enjoying a new whiskey and about how he’s still not entirely certain Lynchburg, Tennessee, isn’t a theme park dedicated to all good things Around the Barrel.

We can all agree that maturity can really only emerge over time. That’s certainly true of both people and whiskey. Most of the time, that maturity process can’t happen all by itself. It needs to be nurtured, monitored, guided and celebrated. On this episode, we talk with Byron Copeland, the Manager of Leadership Acceleration and Maturation Innovation at the Jack Daniel Distillery, about how his experience at both well-established companies and startups meshes well with the world of whiskey, how working your way into a new work family involves quite a bit of listening, and about how paving the way for future leaders to enter the spirits business can be just as important as what goes in and Around the Barrel.

Regardless of the industry you’re in, there are many factors behind how much you enjoy the gig. When you’re working with your biggest fan, though, it goes a long way into making every day a joy. On this episode, we talk with Lexie Phillips and Josh Phillips, the Jack Daniel Distillery’s current “power couple,” about the new set of limited-edition Distillery Series products that bear their names, about how family got them both to the Distillery and remains a big part of their day-to-day work there, and about how their good-natured rye-valry has kept them both laughing about the long-term project that emerged from Around the Barrel.

For a whiskey as legendary as Jack Daniel’s, it’s only fitting that its first salesman was a man of mythic proportions. But Angelo Lucchesi was exceptional, not for his salesmanship, but for his grace and kindness. On this episode, Jack Daniel’s Historian Nelson Eddy returns to the podcast to share Angelo’s incredible story, from one-time monk to Sinatra’s right-hand man, to building a legacy of decency and respect, Around the Barrel.

When a company has decades of history and millions of friends, it needs caretakers dedicated to keeping the story straight. Or at least interesting. Thankfully, Jack Daniel’s has had two of the best. On this episode, host Lucas Hendrickson talks with Goose Baxter and Randall Fanning, the two people who have been in charge of keeping the home fires burning for Mr. Jack’s most ardent admirers – the Tennessee Squires, about how frying catfish can lead to a very long career, how what you leave out from a set of instructions can be more important than what you put in, and about how you could possibly encapsulate a lifetime of memories living and working Around the Barrel.

When you do something well and for an extended period of time, two competing thoughts can come into your head: First, if it ain’t broke, don’t break it. And second, let’s see how we can break it…creatively. On this episode of Around the Barrel, we talk with Jack Daniel’s Master Distiller Chris Fletcher about his eventful year, about the three expressions that are relatively new to store shelves but took a long time (on purpose) to get there, and about getting back out in the world after spending the last couple of years at home.

For everything we know with rock-solid certainty about Mr. Jack Daniel and the distillery that bears his name, a thousand more myths have popped up over the years. It’s to be expected when the famous square bottle and iconic black and white label, not to mention the whiskey inside, have touched the farthest reaches of the globe. On this episode, we talk with Nelson Eddy, the distillery’s longtime writer and historian, about the questions he gets posed as the keeper of the distillery’s legend, about the true significance of the Old No. 7, and about how what was true in Mr. Jack’s day largely remains true today when it comes to what’s made in and around the barrel.

Many of us can find the task of keeping our living spaces nice and tidy for even the occasional houseguest daunting. When your job requires being prepared to welcome guests that number well into the hundreds of thousands, it takes a completely different mindset. On this episode we talk with Erik Brown, the new Homeplace Manager for the Jack Daniel Distillery, about trying to bring normalcy into a pursuit that’s far from normal, about using history to inform the future of the visitor experience in Lynchburg, and about how one makes the seemingly incongruous transition from working around the racetrack to working around the barrel.

For far too many in this “new is always better” world, the word “innovation” tends to mean “blow everything up and start from scratch.” When you’re stewards of a brand with more than 150 years of experience and expectation, that definition simply will not stand. But that doesn’t mean you can’t or shouldn’t make those adjustments that open up a world of new opportunities. On this episode, we talk with current Jack Daniel Distillery team leaders Chris Fletcher and Lexie Phillips about how looking through the lens of innovation not only clarifies the past, but also reveals the future; how one year on Coy Hill can make a big difference in completely unforeseen ways; and how taking things up a notch yields spectacular results.

Tradition has always been important in Lynchburg, but after a year in which many of our most beloved traditions came to a halt, they are more meaningful than ever. Fortunately, this past October saw the return of one our most anticipated — the Jack Daniel’s World Championship Invitational Barbecue. On this episode of Around the Barrel, we talk with two people with both deep history and great affection for the Jack – Tuffy Stone and Brad Leighninger — about how this year’s competition was different, how winning the Jack can change a pitmaster’s life in unexpected ways, and how you can learn something new every time you set up and cook in the Hollow.

If you want to get better at something, sometimes all you have to do is pay attention. This is especially true when it comes to understanding the complex world of distilled spirits. If you pay attention to every drop of liquid that passes under your nose, over your palate, and into your being, you’ll begin to compile the knowledge and expertise that can only come through experience. On this episode of Around the Barrel, we talk with Kenny Coleman, co-host of the Bourbon-focused podcast “Bourbon Pursuit,” about the path he and his cohorts took to gain that knowledge, how listening to their audience encouraged them to share even more of it, and the centuries-long rivalry that can inform interactions between Kentucky and Tennessee gets erased when you’re sitting and sipping Around the Barrel.

All families have stories. They get passed down so that each generation can better understand who they are and from where they came. For one Lynchburg family, their stories are the stories of Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey. As the world recognizes Nathan “Nearest” Green as Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey’s first Master Distiller, his descendants are able to bring their family’s stories to light. On this episode of Around the Barrel, host Lucas Hendrickson sits down with Debbie Staples, Jerome Vance, and Jackie Hardin, three of Nearest Green’s descendants who currently work at the Distillery, to discuss their family’s hidden history and the world’s reaction to it, and the inspiring legacy of Nearest Green.

It has always taken a fair amount of time to craft a product like Jack Daniel’s Old No. 7. It also takes a lot of experience, talent, and of course, patience, to find opportunities to develop a new form of excellence within those toasted white oak barrels. On this episode of Around the Barrel, we talk with Jack Daniel’s Master Distiller Chris Fletcher about Jack Daniel’s 10-year-old Aged Tennessee Whiskey, the new yet old-school offering from the Distillery, as well as how teamwork helped make this expression a reality and how honoring the legacy of Mr. Jack sometimes requires one to just hurry up and wait.

Sometimes it takes venturing out in the world to appreciate things closer to home. But that experience can be invaluable when your role at home involves making others from across the globe feel at home, in your home. On this episode, we talk with Jack Daniel Distillery Senior Ambassador Tour Guide Jed Lirette about his world travels, how the world is slowly opening back up after the struggles of the past year, and how it takes every kind of taste bud to ensure the quality of what comes out of Lynchburg, and Around the Barrel.

Lexie Phillips didn’t set out to be a trailblazer, role model, or pioneer. But when she was named Jack Daniel’s Assistant Distiller in the fall of 2020, she ended up as just that. On this episode, Lexie returns to Around the Barrel to talk about her path from part time job to leadership position, and how following her passion resulted in a giant leap forward for the women of Jack Daniel’s and the spirits industry at large.

Spirits have always been a great way to bring people together. Over fifteen years ago, Mark Gillespie discovered that simply talking about them was just as effective. Gillespie launched WhiskyCast, one of the original spirits podcasts, in 2005 and has since developed a national and international following of industry professionals and whiskey enthusiasts alike. On this episode of Around the Barrel, Gillespie takes a turn as our distinguished guest to discuss the evolution of both podcasting and his whiskey expertise, and shares some of his favorite stories about the spirit.