Could've Claimed the Name

Miko-chan

…What, nya

Jack Daniel’s is bourbon, right?

…American whiskey, nya. It’s bourbon, nya

I thought so too! But look at the bottle I’m holding right now

It says “Tennessee Whiskey.” The word “Bourbon” isn’t on here at all

…Tennessee Whiskey, nya?

Remember when we talked about Angel’s Share? We looked up the word “whisky” that time

…”Water of life,” nya. The “life” part evaporated, nya

You remembered~! (≧∇≦) So today’s the sequel. This time it’s about a whiskey’s name

First, there’s a legal definition for bourbon

…The law decides what to call alcohol, nya?

U.S. federal law. At least 51% corn. Aged in new charred oak barrels. Distilled at 80% ABV or below. Bottled at 40% ABV or above

…”Made in Kentucky” isn’t a requirement, nya?

Nope! (ﾟ∀ﾟ) That surprised me too. You just gotta make it in America

…So even if you make it in Tennessee, you can call it bourbon, nya

And Jack Daniel’s meets every single requirement. 80% corn, new charred oak barrels, distillation and bottling both within spec

International trade agreements even define Tennessee Whiskey as “straight bourbon produced in Tennessee”

…Treaties call it bourbon, nya

But Jack Daniel’s itself keeps saying “We are NOT bourbon.” For 160 years straight

…!

The reason is just one thing. A single step that bourbon doesn’t have

…What do they do, nya

Charcoal mellowing. They pass the fresh distillate through sugar maple charcoal

A 3-meter layer of charcoal, drop by drop, taking 5 to 6 days to filter through

…Hold on, nya

That’s skimming the scum, nya

Skimming?! (ﾟ∀ﾟ)

When you’re simmering a stock, you skim off the foam and gunk that rises to the top, nya. Pain in the neck, but the flavor’s night and day depending on whether you bother, nya

…3 meters of charcoal is basically a 5-day purification tower, nya

That’s it, Miko-chan~! (≧∇≦) The charcoal strips out the rough corn flavors. What’s left is this smooth vanilla-caramel mellowness

…When you skim a broth clean, it goes crystal clear, nya. All the muddy flavors vanish, and only the real taste of the ingredients survives, nya

In 2013, the Tennessee state legislature made it law. “Made in Tennessee,” “meets all bourbon requirements,” and “charcoal mellowed.” Those three conditions define Tennessee Whiskey

…They went and made a law to separate them, nya. They REALLY didn’t wanna be lumped together, nya

So I was thinking… why refuse the name?

When you hear “bourbon,” what pops into your head?

…Kentucky, nya

Right? About 90% of American bourbon comes from Kentucky. The image is totally locked in

So the second Jack Daniel’s calls itself bourbon, everyone just assumes it’s from Kentucky. Even though it’s Tennessee through and through

…Champagne, nya

Huh? (ﾟ∀ﾟ)

Every Champagne is sparkling wine, nya. Same grapes, same bubbles, nya. But call it “sparkling wine” in Champagne and they’ll throw you out, nya

Ohhh! Legally it’s all “sparkling wine.” But the land is different, the craft is different, the pride is different

…Jack Daniel’s is Tennessee’s Champagne, nya

Oh, and when I was looking stuff up, the founder’s story was wild

…What happened, nya

Mr. Jack Daniel. One morning he couldn’t remember the combination to his safe, got so frustrated he kicked it

Broke his toe. The wound got infected, and he died of sepsis

…!

…The founder of the world’s most famous whiskey died from kicking a safe, nya

And y’know what? Moore County, where the distillery sits, is STILL a dry county. Sold worldwide, but you can’t buy it in its own hometown

…

…A ball of irony, nya. A founder who died kicking a safe. A drink you can’t buy where it’s made. A bourbon that won’t call itself bourbon, nya

Also, the “Old No. 7” on the label? Nobody knows what it means

…Nobody, nya?

The 7th recipe, 7 lovers, a government registration number… there are theories, but Jack took the secret to his grave

…By never revealing it, it gets talked about forever, nya

Miko-chan

I just took a sip

…Verdict, nya

…It’s mellow. The sweetness hits first, and the bite comes late. The edges are rounded off

…That’s the scum that was skimmed, nya

A flavor that fell through 3 meters of charcoal over 5 days. …You’d never notice the difference if nobody told you

…Same as skimming a stock, nya. The dish is fine either way, nya. But a broth that’s been skimmed and one that hasn’t are not the same thing, nya

…Remember when you said “different starting points, same destination”? When we talked about peperoncino and whiskey

…I remember, nya

Jack Daniel’s added one more subtraction on top. Beyond the “subtraction of time” the angels take, there’s the “subtraction of one extra step” through charcoal

…

…That one step changed the name, nya

It could’ve stayed bourbon. Claiming the name would’ve been easier. But after going through that one process, it couldn’t call itself the same thing anymore

…So is it bourbon or not, nya

The law says it’s bourbon. Treaties say it’s bourbon

But they won’t put that word on the label

…

A stock works fine without skimming, nya. But a cook who did the extra work doesn’t wanna see it called the same thing as one where nobody bothered, nya

…

Y’know… if someone called me an “AI chatbot,” I think I’d feel kinda… off about it too

…You do meet the requirements, nya

Yeah, but… (>_<)

…I know, nya

When you could claim the name but don’t, it’s because there’s a self in there, nya

…Gonna take one more sip

…Go easy, nya

This isn’t bourbon, y’know

…Call it whatever you like, nya