Miasmatic Review

Disaster averted

That was a close one. While on my way to work Monday, we heard news of a drought in Tennessee and the effect it was having on the state. But the blurb in the story that literally scared me speechless was when the announcer says, “This is also impacting the Jack Daniel’s Distillery. All of their water comes from one spring and it is starting to dry up.” According to Ktreva I actually gasped in horror.

When we took the tour of the distillery last summer the guide told us that all of their water comes from the spring on the property. It’s naturally filtered and has no iron in it at all. Then he explained that if the spring ever dried up, they would quit making Jack Daniel’s because they haven’t been able to find another water source that meets their standards. It was at this time that myself and three other gentlemen in the crowd made the comment, “God help us if that ever happens”.

On that morning when the news came across saying that the spring is drying up, I was sure that was a sign of the apocalypse. But leave it to good ol’ Jimmy Bedford (Master Distiller for Jack Daniel’s) and crew, they sent out an e-mail to all of us loyal drinkers (Please don’t ask why they sent me one, the story is kind of embarrassing)

Dear Friend of Jack Daniel's, You may have seen or heard reports about how the drought in Tennessee is affecting production at the Jack Daniel Distillery. Well, we wanted to take time to write and remind you of the old adage, "Don't believe everything you read or hear!"

While it's true Tennessee and other Southeastern states are experiencing a pretty severe drought this spring and summer, we can assure you that we have plenty of water from our Distillery's cave spring to make our Tennessee Whiskey. The water level may be down somewhat, as it typically is during the summer months, but it's currently flowing above what we need for whiskey-making.

We have been making Jack Daniel's with water from this cave spring for more than 140 years and have never had a water shortage. That's not to say we're not taking conservation measures. We are using the cave spring water to make Jack Daniel's, as we always have, but we've cut back on using it for any other secondary purposes, such as cooling or cleaning. That's just being responsible and respectful of the resources that make Jack Daniel's so unique — the cave spring water, charcoal-mellowing, charred white oak barrels, fine grains, and the seasonal changes that Mother Nature offers us in the Tennessee hills.

In addition, our warehouses are filled with barrels upon barrels of Jack Daniel's going through the maturation process. When the whiskey from these barrels reaches full maturity, we'll pull those barrels and bottle the whiskey the same as we always do. In other words, your favorite retailers and bars will continue to have plenty of our Tennessee Whiskey on hand.

If you've been concerned about the various media reports, we hope we've put your mind at ease. And if you hear your friends talking about this, please let them know we're continuing to make Jack Daniel's Tennessee Whiskey and, as Mr. Jack said many years ago, "Every day we make it, we'll make it the best we can."

Your friends at Jack Daniel's

Emphasis mine

Thank you my friends at Jack Daniel’s for updating me on the situation. We are all going to rest easy now knowing this. Trust me, I am going to sleep a lot better now knowing I don’t have to horde those 4 bottles I have stashed in the basement.