Reviving Jack Daniel’s Ten Year with Tintype Photography
A Return to Tradition
When Jack Daniel’s prepared to reintroduce a ten year aged Tennessee Whiskey, they wanted the launch to feel as rooted in history as the spirit itself.
To help tell that story, FINN Partners Nashville reached out to me to create a true tintype of an archival bottle for use in the launch materials. The choice of a nineteenth-century photographic process aligned perfectly with Jack Daniel’s heritage and the authenticity of the Ten Year release.
Project Brief
Client: Jack Daniel’s, through FINN Partners Nashville.
Objective:. Create an authentic image that honors the brand’s history while introducing a new age statement.
Deliverable: A tintype photograph of an original Jack Daniel’s bottle, provided as part of a premium outreach kit for distributors, media, and select influencers.
Why Tintype
Tintype photography is a wet plate collodion process from the nineteenth century. It produces a direct positive on a metal plate, rewarding patience and precision. As Betty Mason of FINN Partners noted during the project, the look and feel of a tintype was authentic to the way Jack Daniel’s does things.
Creative Approach
Concept: Use a true tintype, not a filter or simulation. The plate would show the real wear, the silvering, and the slight imperfections that make the medium feel alive.
Subject: An original historical Jack Daniel’s bottle. The goal was to echo lineage and continuity.
Aesthetic: Simple composition, controlled highlights on glass, and legible branding. The plate needed to feel archival while still serving a modern launch.
A One-of-a-Kind Bottle
The subject of the tintype was an original, unopened archival bottle of Jack Daniel’s Ten Year Old, dating back to when the brand last released a whiskey with this age statement. The bottle is believed to be possibly one-of-a-kind, preserved in the Jack Daniel’s archive. Because of its rarity and historical value, it was handled with the utmost care. Protective measures were taken throughout the shoot to ensure no harm came to the bottle. This archival authenticity reinforced the brand’s decision to use tintype photography, creating a visual link between the old and the new in reviving the Ten Year release.
Production Notes
Process: Each tintype plate was hand poured, sensitized in a silver nitrate bath, exposed while wet, and developed immediately.
Lighting: Soft but directional to bring life to the glass and label.
Handling: Archival handling of the historical bottle, controlled set, and careful plate storage after fixing and wash.
Selection: Multiple plates were created to ensure a strong hero image, with a few alternates for internal use.
The Box and Media Kit
FINN Partners produced a premium kit that served as a tactile introduction to the release. The kit included a custom Shou Sugi Ban wooden box with laser burned marking, a tintype print of the historical bottle, a numbered authenticity card, a velvet interior wrap, a gold plate insignia, a custom etched glass, and a bottle of the ten year aged whiskey. The kit supported virtual tastings and created a memorable unboxing experience for whiskey influencers and select media.
Results and Recognition
The launch received strong coverage within the whiskey community. The campaign also received industry recognition in the Nashville market. It was honored with Gold and Silver recognition at the 2022 American Advertising Awards Nashville for the Jack Daniel’s Ten Year Aged launch.
Collaboration
Partnership with FINN Partners in Nashville was a highlight of the project. The team embraced the craft and integrated the tintype image into the larger story of the release. The collaboration aligned brand heritage with an authentic visual approach.
Behind the Scenes
You will see some behind the scenes photographs and a few additional tintype plates that were not selected for the kit. These images show plate preparation, lighting tests, and the finished plates after drying.
One detail worth noting: tintypes are direct positives, which means the image on the plate appears laterally reversed. After scanning, the image can be digitally flipped to appear “corrected.” A behind the scenes photo will show both the original tintype and its reversed version, demonstrating how the process balances authenticity with flexibility for modern use.
Credits
Client: Jack Daniel’s.
Agency: FINN Partners, Nashville.
Creative Direction: Hart Armstrong, Senior Art Director.
Production: Betty Mason, Senior Production Manager.
Photography: Tintype created by Blake Wylie, Nashville tintype photographer.