Graduate Student Spotlight

Dr. Jeff Norman:

I am the Sr. Quality Control Specialist at the Jack Daniel's Distillery South QC lab.  People may not realize the fact, but many aspects of chemistry unfold here: biochemistry (the interaction of the yeast and the sugars from the corn and microbiological treatment of wastewater), analytical chemistry (testing of distilled whiskey, matured whiskey, and grain analysis), and environmental chemistry (emissions testing, NPDES compliance, and sustainability projects).  The step that sets us apart from all other whiskeys in the world, charcoal mellowing, can even be thought of as a chromatography technique considering that harsh compounds naturally found in all distilled whiskeys will be adsorbed by the charcoal as the whiskey seeps through the charcoal bed.  My responsibilities include the analysis of matured whiskey.  Jack Daniel's whiskey will be tested all along its processing journey from its initial pouring from the barrel to its final destination in the bottle.  Our lab is equipped to measure the color (with a Beckman Coulter DU 800 spectrophotometer), ambient and chill nephlos (with a Hach turbidity meter), and proof of our whiskey (with an Anton Paar DMA 5000 densitometer).  In addition, we have an Agilent GC and Waters HPLC at our  North QC lab which we use to measure key components in our distilled and matured whiskey.  I am also involved in R&D projects which are undertaken to more intimately understand how our whiskey matures while in the barrel, and I continually update several databases concerning key parameters in order to keep historical tabs on our whiskey's performance.  My role now includes world-wide product promotion, so you may see me on the Jack Daniel TV commercials, in magazine ads, or at sporting events touting our spirits.

Cheers!