[WD] Jack Daniel's has been on a tear

Bird strikes usually happen outside the aircraft. This time, it was a penguin — in a cardboard box — that crash-landed a helicopter from inside the cockpit. Mid-takeoff, the bird slid loose, nudged the flight controls, and sent the chopper into an unplanned descent. No one was hurt, but it may be the first time in aviation history that a flightless bird grounded a pilot.

In today's dispatch, we're diving headfirst into:

• Jacked Up? How Jack Daniel’s continues its incredible run

• Worthy Reads: Sampling some of the best from around the web

• Rewind: Some of our most popular Instagram posts from last week

Jack Daniel's 14-Year: End of an Era or Just Warming Up?

Jack Daniel's has quietly built one of the most impressive track records in American whiskey. Since 2013, Tennessee's oldest distillery has launched 16 different expressions with a consistency that defies probability. And these numbers are telling a story that would make most whiskey giants choke on their own marketing.

Only a single bottle among these 16 releases scored below their overall product average of 79.79 points (according to Whiskybase.com). Let that sink in for a moment. Each special release was effectively a step forward away from JD's stodgy past. And the latest release looks to keep that trend in tact.

What makes this run even more fascinating? It spits in the face of basic statistical principles. The more established your portfolio becomes, the harder it should be to move the needle with each new release.

Yet Jack Daniel's has managed a consistent upward trend of 0.2 points annually for over a decade. That may not sound like much, but to move a product line with over 150 offerings – that is a herculean task.

Once relegated to "that black labeled bottle your college roommate used for ill-advised shots," the distillery has methodically reconstructed its reputation since 2013.

From the humble beginnings of Sinatra Select (81.33 pts) to the impressive heights of the 12-Year (90 pts) and Coy Hill (87 pts), they've engineered a reputation renaissance that's impossible to ignore.

Stumbles along the way? Sure.

Their Straight Rye, scoring below 80, stands as the lone outlier in an otherwise impeccable record of special releases.

A Legacy Reborn

How does a 150-year-old giant reinvent itself without alienating its base?

While other heritage brands chased trends with desperate Amburana finishes (the whiskey world's obsession of 2023) and gimmicky marketing, Jack Daniel's simply focused on what they did best.

Master Distiller Jeff Arnett (succeeded by Chris Fletcher in 2020) doubled down on their foundations rather than reinventing the wheel. Their mastery of the Lincoln County Process and deep inventory of well-aged stock became competitive advantages in a market obsessed with novelty.

From Ordinary to Extraordinary

Unlike their competitors, Jack Daniel's has solved the quality consistency puzzle.

Buffalo Trace produces occasional masterpieces but frustrates customers with wild quality swings and out of touch releases (Daniel Weller, Weller Millennium, two failed Prohibition Collections).

Jack Daniel's found the perfect balance - consistent execution with occasional brilliance. This raises the central question: when does a "mass market" producer earn premium status?

Their 14-Year release answers definitively. Released at barrel proof with a $150 MSRP, it now commands $600-$1,000 in secondary markets. Early reviews compare it to unicorns like George T. Stagg with complete sincerity.

It’s no longer about proving they can make great whiskey. That question’s been answered. Now it’s about how they manage success without diluting it—how they protect the edge without softening the blade.

They’re playing in the deep end now. there’s no safe lane left. Every bottle moving forward has to justify its existence—not just by scoring well, but by pushing the story forward.

The past decade was about reinvention.

The next one? Staying indispensable.

📰 Worthy Whiskey News (a.k.a. our favorite reads)

• What makes a distillery hold whiskey for half a century? Bushmills and Midleton have their reasons—and they’re charging five figures to find out.

• Maker’s Mark breaks tradition with its first-ever wheat whiskey—after 70 years, why now?

• From award-winner to Chapter 11—Westward Whiskey’s fall is a warning shot
  

• Buffalo Trace went underwater—what happens when a distillery floods?

📸Rewind: A selection of our most popular IG Posts

• Sure, it’s smooth going down—but does it hold up in hand-to-hand combat?
  

• 1.4 billion proof gallons later, American whiskey hit something it hasn’t seen in years: stillness.
  

• From Green to Red, here’s what the Spot range should cost—at least for now.
  

• E.H. Taylor Barrel Proof is consistent in every way… except availability, pricing, and reality.

What a week — whiskey, numbers, and a penguin in the cockpit.

Thanks for flying with us. If you’ve got friends who appreciate a good pour and a better story, send this their way. We’re always looking to add more seats to the flight.

Until next time, keep your bottles upright and your birds properly secured.

Cheers.