Vineet Agrawal, Head of Marketing, India Subcontinent and Maldives, Brown-Forman Worldwide talks about Jack Daniel, one of the most popular whiskey brands in the world celebrating 150 years of its existence
BY VINEET AGRAWAL
Head of Marketing, India Subcontinent and Maldives, Brown-Forman Worldwide LLC
In 1866, exactly 150 years ago, Jasper “Jack” Daniel had the foresight to place his distillery at a source of iron-free water flowing from a cave spring in Lynchburg, Tennessee. Today, the quiet town of Lynchburg still produces every single drop of the world’s Jack Daniel’s, proof that mastering a craft with a focus on quality can propel a brand beyond borders and cultures. In a world where change is a constant, it is an incredible achievement to be making whiskey in the same way, in the same place, after 150 years. Theendurance and success of Jack Daniel’s is the result of the ability to continue to operate according to Jack’s motto – “Every day we make it, we’ll make it the best we can”. Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey still undergoes the same process of charcoal mellowing that sets it apart from bourbon.
Every drop of Jack Daniel’s is slowly filtered through 10 feet of hard sugar maple charcoal to give it a rare mellow smoothness. Jack Daniel’s whiskey is then matured in brand new American oak barrels crafted at its own cooperages. The barrel is key to crafting Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey as it accounts for 100% of its colour and 70-80% of its flavour. It is the only major distiller in the world which still makes its own barrels. Even today, through seven master distillers – Jack himself was the first one - our Tennessee Whiskey is still judged the same way that Jack Daniel himself did. By the way it looks. By the way it smells. And of course, by the way it tastes.
The year 2016 truly marks a landmark year for Jack Daniel’s as the distillery celebrates its 150th anniversary and as part of the celebrations, Jack Daniel’s is looking forward to delighting its fans all over the world in some very special ways. The planned initiatives in India include limited edition bottles, themed on-ground events, special duty free promotions and social media outreach among other initiatives. Headlining the celebrations will be the first-ever worldwide whiskey barrel hunt – the ‘Jack Daniel’s Barrel Hunt’, that will unite Friends of Jack across the world.
Every drop of Jack Daniel’s ever enjoyed was once inside a barrel handmade at the distillery. That means every story, every personal experience, and every instance of Jack Daniel’s in pop culture all started from the same source: the distillery and its barrels. In celebration of the 150th anniversary, we’ll feature these barrels in a global scavenger hunt where 150 of them will be hidden around the world from July through September at historic and cultural sites. The first Barrel Hunt took place at the home of the distillery in Lynchburg on July 1 and will visit more than 50 countries in 90 days. We’re excited that three of these barrels are coming to India and will be hidden at secret locations in Mumbai, Delhi and Bangalore.
Clues and the password tied to the hidden location of the barrel will be provided on the Jack Daniel’s Facebook page and the barrels will be opened when the first person to arrive touches the barrel and speaks the correct barrel password. Each hidden barrel in the scavenger hunt has been handcrafted from the distillery and used to mature Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey before being specially fabricated for the Barrel Hunt to house prizes, including an original, one-of-a-kind bar kit made with white oak from the barrels. Barrel Hunt winners will also receive the authentic Jack Daniel’s barrel they found along with prizes tailored to each region that participates in the Barrel Hunt.
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