Day in the Life: Jack Daniel's Master Distiller

FOX 17 News – By: John Dunn

Some of you might say Jimmy Bedford has the best job in Tennessee.

He works at Jack Daniel’s in Lynchburg.

It’s his job to make sure every drop of that famous Tennessee Sippin’ Whiskey meets old Jack’s standard.

It’s early morning in Lynchburg.

"C'mon girls, come on, Shoo," says Jimmy Bedford.

And Jimmy Bedford is calling the herd.

This is the farm of Jack Daniel’s Master Distiller.

It’s been in his family since the 1800’s. It is 1000 acres large with 300 head of cattle.

The farm is where Jimmy Bedford begins his days, but the Jack Daniel Distillery is where he spends them.

"Look right here, this is where it all started...it's still here," says Bedford.

Bedford is the sixth person to carry the title Master Distiller, a job that began with Jack Daniel himself.

Jimmy makes a quick stop in the office.

"Have we made any reservations for that Texas trip," says Bedford.

He checks his busy schedule and writes a letter, but the time behind his desk is brief. There’s whiskey to check on.

"And every drop of Jack Daniel in the world is made and bottled right here in Lynchburg," says Bedford.

Jimmy Bedford wanders among the distillery’s 48 fermenting tanks, until he finds the one he’s looking for.

"And the bubbly part there is CO2 gas being given off, and it just bubbles to the top like that," says Bedford.

Inside the tank, fermentation is well underway. Yeast is converting sugars into alcohol.

"Six days from now we'll be ready to run this through the still and extract the alcohol from it," says Bedford.

As Master Distiller, Jimmy oversees the entire whiskey-making process. Like a chef in the kitchen, Bedford watches these tanks.

"That indicates we've had good fermentation. We're happy to se that right there,” says Bedford.

Another important part of the process is called charcoal mellowing.

"Whiskey comes from the still at 140 proof clear as water," says Bedford.

The whiskey slowly trickles through a vat of charcoal chips, helping the flavor and aroma.

"It takes it about five days for the whiskey to go down through the charcoal," says Bedford.

The next stop is the barrel room.

"And these barrels right here are coming right off the truck," says Bedford.

The distillery is filling 10,000 barrels a week right now, producing 29 million gallons of whiskey this year alone.

Once filled, the barrels will sit for at least four years in one of the dozens of warehouses scattered around Moore County.

It all leads to final test.

"Swirl it around and take a deep breath and kind of pick up how grainy it would be," says Bedford.

Jimmy Bedford has a nose for good whiskey.

"It's got a little more of your toasted oak vanilla there," says Bedford.

As Master Distiller, Jimmy Bedford uses his fine-tuned sense of smell to ensure quality.
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"We know what Jack Daniel's should taste like or smell like, and that's the standard that we have," says Bedford.

Bedford points out a human being’s sense of smell can detect much more than taste alone.

"I know it's lighter, I can just tell it's lighter," says Bedford.

Bedford’s careful critique keeps each bottle of Jack Daniel’s as good as it has always been.

"Somebody say, well what do you think about your Job? I say well, 95% of the time, it's great, and the other 5% of the time it's not bad, so all in all it's a great company, great job, and I've enjoyed working here, and hopefully I can continue on a while longer," says Bedford.

It’s often said that change is inevitable, but it’s the Master Distiller’s job to make sure that some things stay the same.

Jimmy Bedford worked at the Distillery for 20 years before becoming Master Distiller in 1988.

He says just about every night when he comes home from work, he still enjoys a Jack Daniel’s cocktail.
Day in the Life: Jack Daniel's Master Distiller