When Jack Daniel’s Turned to Tintype Photography

In 2021, I received a call from FINN Partners Nashville. They were working with Jack Daniel’s on the launch of a new Ten Year Aged Tennessee Whiskey, the first age-stated bottle the distillery had released in decades.

For this special project, there had been talk of creating a “digital tintype” in Photoshop to mimic the look. But in the end, the team knew that what mattered most was the process itself. They wanted the image to be born out of the same authenticity and tradition that define the Jack Daniel’s name. That is where authentic tintype photography came in.

Photographing a One-of-a-Kind Bottle

The subject of the shoot was not just any bottle. It was an original archival Jack Daniel’s Ten Year Old, unopened and possibly one-of-a-kind. Because of its historical value, I handled it with extreme care. Using the wet plate collodion process, I created a series of tintypes, each one a direct positive on metal.

One of those plates became the hero image for the launch. After being scanned and reversed, since tintypes appear mirrored, it was included in a custom presentation case designed by FINN Partners. The case, a Shou Sugi Ban wooden box lined with velvet and paired with etched glassware, went out to distributors and media as part of the brand’s reintroduction.

An Award-Winning Launch

The project did more than tell a story. It made an impression. The campaign received Gold and Silver recognition at the American Advertising Awards Nashville, and it was a privilege to see tintype photography play a role in that recognition.

Why Authentic Tintype Photography Made Sense

Tintype photography is slow, deliberate, and rooted in the nineteenth century. Those qualities mirror the patience and care it takes to produce a whiskey aged for ten years. As Betty Mason from FINN Partners said during the process, the look and feel of a tintype was authentic to the way Jack Daniel’s does things.

For me, this project was a reminder that authentic tintype photography is not just a portrait medium. It can bring heritage, tactility, and depth to commercial storytelling in a way that feels different from anything digital.

Want to see more behind-the-scenes images and the full story? Read the Jack Daniel’s Ten Year Tintype Case Study →