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For a whiskey as legendary as Jack Daniel’s, it’s only fitting that its first salesman was a man of mythic proportions. But Angelo Lucchesi was exceptional, not for his salesmanship, but for his grace and kindness. On this episode, Jack Daniel’s Historian Nelson Eddy returns to the podcast to share Angelo’s incredible story, from one-time monk to Sinatra’s right-hand man, to building a legacy of decency and respect, Around the Barrel. 

When a company has decades of history and millions of friends, it needs caretakers dedicated to keeping the story straight. Or at least interesting. Thankfully, Jack Daniel’s has had two of the best. On this episode, host Lucas Hendrickson talks with Goose Baxter and Randall Fanning, the two people who have been in charge of keeping the home fires burning for Mr. Jack’s most ardent admirers – the Tennessee Squires, about how frying catfish can lead to a very long career, how what you leave out from a set of instructions can be more important than what you put in, and about how you could possibly encapsulate a lifetime of memories living and working Around the Barrel.

When you do something well and for an extended period of time, two competing thoughts can come into your head: First, if it ain’t broke, don’t break it. And second, let’s see how we can break it…creatively. On this episode of Around the Barrel, we talk with Jack Daniel’s Master Distiller Chris Fletcher about his eventful year, about the three expressions that are relatively new to store shelves but took a long time (on purpose) to get there, and about getting back out in the world after spending the last couple of years at home.

For everything we know with rock-solid certainty about Mr. Jack Daniel and the distillery that bears his name, a thousand more myths have popped up over the years. It’s to be expected when the famous square bottle and iconic black and white label, not to mention the whiskey inside, have touched the farthest reaches of the globe. On this episode, we talk with Nelson Eddy, the distillery’s longtime writer and historian, about the questions he gets posed as the keeper of the distillery’s legend, about the true significance of the Old No. 7, and about how what was true in Mr. Jack’s day largely remains true today when it comes to what’s made in and around the barrel.

Many of us can find the task of keeping our living spaces nice and tidy for even the occasional houseguest daunting. When your job requires being prepared to welcome guests that number well into the hundreds of thousands, it takes a completely different mindset. On this episode we talk with Erik Brown, the new Homeplace Manager for the Jack Daniel Distillery, about trying to bring normalcy into a pursuit that’s far from normal, about using history to inform the future of the visitor experience in Lynchburg, and about how one makes the seemingly incongruous transition from working around the racetrack to working around the barrel.

For far too many in this “new is always better” world, the word “innovation” tends to mean “blow everything up and start from scratch.” When you’re stewards of a brand with more than 150 years of experience and expectation, that definition simply will not stand. But that doesn’t mean you can’t or shouldn’t make those adjustments that open up a world of new opportunities. On this episode, we talk with current Jack Daniel Distillery team leaders Chris Fletcher and Lexie Phillips about how looking through the lens of innovation not only clarifies the past, but also reveals the future; how one year on Coy Hill can make a big difference in completely unforeseen ways; and how taking things up a notch yields spectacular results.

Tradition has always been important in Lynchburg, but after a year in which many of our most beloved traditions came to a halt, they are more meaningful than ever. Fortunately, this past October saw the return of one our most anticipated — the Jack Daniel’s World Championship Invitational Barbecue. On this episode of Around the Barrel, we talk with two people with both deep history and great affection for the Jack – Tuffy Stone and Brad Leighninger — about how this year’s competition was different, how winning the Jack can change a pitmaster’s life in unexpected ways, and how you can learn something new every time you set up and cook in the Hollow.

If you want to get better at something, sometimes all you have to do is pay attention. This is especially true when it comes to understanding the complex world of distilled spirits. If you pay attention to every drop of liquid that passes under your nose, over your palate, and into your being, you’ll begin to compile the knowledge and expertise that can only come through experience. On this episode of Around the Barrel, we talk with Kenny Coleman, co-host of the Bourbon-focused podcast “Bourbon Pursuit,” about the path he and his cohorts took to gain that knowledge, how listening to their audience encouraged them to share even more of it, and the centuries-long rivalry that can inform interactions between Kentucky and Tennessee gets erased when you’re sitting and sipping Around the Barrel.

All families have stories. They get passed down so that each generation can better understand who they are and from where they came. For one Lynchburg family, their stories are the stories of Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey. As the world recognizes Nathan “Nearest” Green as Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey’s first Master Distiller, his descendants are able to bring their family’s stories to light. On this episode of Around the Barrel, host Lucas Hendrickson sits down with Debbie Staples, Jerome Vance, and Jackie Hardin, three of Nearest Green’s descendants who currently work at the Distillery, to discuss their family’s hidden history and the world’s reaction to it, and the inspiring legacy of Nearest Green.

It has always taken a fair amount of time to craft a product like Jack Daniel’s Old No. 7. It also takes a lot of experience, talent, and of course, patience, to find opportunities to develop a new form of excellence within those toasted white oak barrels. On this episode of Around the Barrel, we talk with Jack Daniel’s Master Distiller Chris Fletcher about Jack Daniel’s 10-year-old Aged Tennessee Whiskey, the new yet old-school offering from the Distillery, as well as how teamwork helped make this expression a reality and how honoring the legacy of Mr. Jack sometimes requires one to just hurry up and wait.

Sometimes it takes venturing out in the world to appreciate things closer to home. But that experience can be invaluable when your role at home involves making others from across the globe feel at home, in your home. On this episode, we talk with Jack Daniel Distillery Senior Ambassador Tour Guide Jed Lirette about his world travels, how the world is slowly opening back up after the struggles of the past year, and how it takes every kind of taste bud to ensure the quality of what comes out of Lynchburg, and Around the Barrel. 

Lexie Phillips didn’t set out to be a trailblazer, role model, or pioneer. But when she was named Jack Daniel’s Assistant Distiller in the fall of 2020, she ended up as just that. On this episode, Lexie returns to Around the Barrel to talk about her path from part time job to leadership position, and how following her passion resulted in a giant leap forward for the women of Jack Daniel’s and the spirits industry at large.

Spirits have always been a great way to bring people together. Over fifteen years ago, Mark Gillespie discovered that simply talking about them was just as effective. Gillespie launched WhiskyCast, one of the original spirits podcasts, in 2005 and has since developed a national and international following of industry professionals and whiskey enthusiasts alike. On this episode of Around the Barrel, Gillespie takes a turn as our distinguished guest to discuss the evolution of both podcasting and his whiskey expertise, and shares some of his favorite stories about the spirit.

The story of Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey has been told for years, but for the first time, it will be told through film. Chasing Whiskey: The Untold Story of Jack Daniel’s, directed by Greg Olliver, is available to stream beginning April 9. On this episode of Around the Barrel, Greg shares his experience chasing Jack Daniel’s around the globe.

Most people like to say, “What’s old is new again.” At Jack Daniel’s, it might be more fitting to say, “What’s new is old again.” On our first episode of Season Four of Around the Barrel, we’re joined by the newest Jack Daniel’s Master Distiller, Chris Fletcher, grandson of Master Distiller Frank Bobo and a longtime employee in his own right. He joins host Lucas Hendrickson to shed some light on the challenging year that was, and shares his excitement for things to come as he blends his penchant for innovation into time-honored tradition.

The popular saying “a rising tide lifts all boats” is perfectly suited for the distilled spirits industry — when one of us does well, either as an individual or as a company, we do what we can to help others. On this episode of Around the Barrel, we talk with Melvin Keebler, Vice President and Assistant General Manager at the Jack Daniel Distillery, about the Nearest & Jack Advancement Initiative, the latest way Jack Daniel’s is helping those with less opportunity. Through collaboration with Uncle Nearest Inc., the initiative offers education, training and support for minorities looking to succeed in the distilled spirits industry. Melvin takes us behind-the-scenes of this impactful program and discusses Jack Daniel’s diversity and inclusion efforts while shining a light on the path of progress ahead.

The importance of the barrel in whiskey making cannot be overstated. It is so important, in fact, that at Jack Daniel’s, we don’t trust anyone else to make it. On this episode of Around the Barrel, host Lucas Hendrickson visits the Jack Daniel Cooperage alongside plant manager Darrell Davis to learn about the painstaking process that goes into building this magic vessel that creates the color, flavor and character of our world-famous whiskey.

The connection between music and Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey has always been strong. The link between the brand and American country music has been particularly vibrant over the years, as the spirit has informed, not only the creation of songs, but also the celebration of them. On this episode, we talk with country music media mainstay Storme Warren about the current state of the genre, how both the music and the whiskey play to a worldwide audience and how a commitment to both innovation and tradition informs what comes out over the airwaves and round the Barrel.

Enjoying whiskey engages all your senses, but taste is undoubtedly the most difficult to define. Sight, smell and memory all feed into our taste. On this episode of Around the Barrel, host Lucas Hendrickson joins veteran whiskey journalist Fred Minnick to learn more about the time and practice needed to develop a whiskey vocabulary to articulate this concept of taste, how a person’s palate can be as unique as a fingerprint and how his years as a whiskey expert have spawned a slew of magazine, book and video creations that explore whiskey from different angles.

Will Haynes and Matt Giesler had been friends and coworkers for years when their mutual admiration for spirits led them to take the conversation they were having and add some microphones, create some context, and create The Podcask. On this episode of Around the Barrel, host Lucas Hendrickson speaks with these fellow podcast hosts to break down how they turn curiosity about consumption into conversations, how developing a whiskey vocabulary is key, and how the seemingly simple act of turning on microphones activated a global collection of fans.