Jack Daniles classifiaction

by **Kimo** » Sat Oct 30, 2004 2:35 am

My friends and I have been having this debate for awhile and allot of the online sources are very contradictory. Since you guys are experts I just wanted to know once and for all what JD is officially classified as., a Bourbon or Tennessee whisky and why all the confusion. Thanks a bunch

-k-

by **SasquatchMan** » Sat Oct 30, 2004 2:50 am

Jack Daniel's doesn't qualify as bourbon, as far as I can tell, because it isn't made in Kentucky, and though I believe the mash to be more than 51% corn (requisite for bourbon, I believe) I think the additional filtration steps would eliminate it from the official bourbon crowd. Fact is, Jack Daniel's is a hell of a lot like Bourbon.

I always get these facts wrong, though, and maybe someone else would like to chime in?

by **lexkraai** » Sat Oct 30, 2004 10:24 am

Bourbon doesn't have to be made in Kentucky. In fact, there is bourbon made nowadays in Kentucky, Virginia, Indiana, Georgia. And in the recent past Pennsylvania as well.

The mash bill requirements for bourbon and JD are identical. So in that respect JD is not different from a bourbon. The reason why there is a special category for JD and George Dickel is not that they are made in Tennessee, but that the new make spirit is filtered through charcoal before being casked. This is the 'Lincon County Process'. So essentially, JD and GD are 'bourbons with something extra', which allows them to call themselves 'Tennessee Whisky'.

Hope that's clear!
Lex

by **Kimo** » Sat Oct 30, 2004 11:59 am

Perfect thank you very much

by **clayton jr** » Tue Nov 02, 2004 7:11 pm

JD does indeed qualify as a bourbon in many ways, and in fact was for quite awhile marketed as bourbon. They lobbied the IRS for their own classification based on their filtering process.

Whether that filtering process adds "smoothness" or just removes character and flavor is left up to the individual drinker.