S&D Podcast 20: Sherrie Moore Uses Data and Experimentation to Understand and Optimize Whiskey Flavor and Consistency

Over her 30+ years at Jack Daniel’s, Sherrie Moore served in a variety of roles, from working in the visitor’s center in the mid-70s through stints as chemist, processing manager, warehousing manager, and more before retiring as director of whiskey production. Now, she works with spirits brands in a consulting capacity, sharing the knowledge she built over decades of bust-and-boom producing whiskey for one of the world’s largest brands.

Sydney Jones Nov 26, 2024 - 2 min read

S&D Podcast 20: Sherrie Moore Uses Data and Experimentation to Understand and Optimize Whiskey Flavor and Consistency Primary Image

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There aren’t many problems in whiskey that Sherrie Moore hasn’t tackled and solved. Over her 30+ years at Tennessee’s renowned Jack Daniel’s distillery, she’s worked in just about every role imaginable—from chemist and processing manager to barrel warehousing manager and, eventually, director of whiskey production. She’s since directed whiskey production for Nearest Green Distillery, and for the past few years she has expanded her scope to help smaller brands dial in processes, products, and operations.

In this episode, Moore and host Sydney Jones discuss:

  • Understanding tradition before getting into experimentation
  • Jack Daniel’s experiments to reduce the angel’s share
  • Managing a distillery through periods of overproduction and rebalancing
  • Understanding the impact of toast versus char
  • Newer research from ISC Barrels on barrel preparation
  • Creating greater consistency, not just quality
  • Understanding the dynamics of barrel warehouses
  • Evaluating with the eyes to understand flavor
  • Collecting data on consumer preference through tasting-room experiments

And more.

G&D Chillers understands that each distillery’s chilling requirements are unique. On every distillery project, G&D offers the front-end design and engineering your team needs at no cost to you. Jim Kuhr, VP of manufacturing at Red Boot Beverages says, “G&D has been with us since the early days. Their knowledgeable engineers and service techs are there when we need them. We’re in the midst of a large expansion, and they have been right there with us to select chiller solutions for today and the future.” Reach out for a quote today at gdchillers.com.

Sydney Jones is a supervisor and lead distillery technician at the newly-constructed Heaven Hill Springs Distillery in Bardstown, Kentucky. Previously, she worked as the first female head distiller for FEW Spirits in Evanston, Illinois, and has been working in the distilled-spirits industry since 2016, specializing in whiskey and gin production.

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