The Story Inside the Bottle

J.D. Mason Journal | Issue No. 1

Four Grains. Six to Eight Years. One Bourbon Built to Be Shared.

Welcome to the first edition of The J.D. Mason Journal.

We could have started by telling you where to buy a bottle or how to make the perfect Old Fashioned. Instead, we wanted to begin with something more important: What’s actually inside the bottle—and why we created it.

Great bourbon isn’t simply about whiskey poured into a glass. It’s about the grains selected, the barrels chosen, the years spent waiting, and ultimately the people you choose to share it with. At J.D. Mason, all of those elements come together in a Four Grain Straight Bourbon Whiskey created to deliver complexity, balance, and character from the first aroma to the final sip.

It Starts With Four Grains

At the heart of J.D. Mason is a carefully balanced four-grain mash bill: 68% Corn • 20% Rye • 6% Wheat • 6% Barley. Each grain has a job to do. Together, they create the personality of the bourbon.

Corn: The Foundation

At 68% of the mash bill, corn provides the foundation. It contributes the rich sweetness traditionally associated with bourbon and helps develop the warm flavors of caramel, vanilla, and toasted sweetness that greet you in the glass.

Rye: The Character

At 20%, rye gives J.D. Mason another dimension. Rye introduces spice, structure, and complexity, providing a counterpoint to the sweetness of the corn and helping create a finish that stays with you. It’s part of what makes the bourbon continue to develop after the first sip.

Wheat: The Balance

Wheat brings softness. Our 6% wheat component helps round out the assertiveness of the rye while contributing to a smoother, more approachable texture. It’s a relatively small percentage of the recipe with an important role: bringing balance to the glass.

Barley: The Finishing Touch

The final 6% is barley, contributing subtle toasted, malty, and nutty characteristics while also playing an important role in the whiskey-making process.

Four grains. Four different personalities. One purpose: Balance.

Six to Eight Years. Nothing Rushed.

There are parts of bourbon-making that can be controlled. Recipes can be developed. Grains can be selected. Barrels can be chosen. But there is one ingredient you cannot manufacture: Time.

J.D. Mason spends six to eight years developing in the barrel, allowing whiskey, oak, char, temperature, and time to work together. As temperatures change, whiskey moves in and out of the oak. Over the years, that interaction helps create color, aroma, complexity, and flavor while transforming the spirit inside.

There are no shortcuts for what happens during those years. Some things simply have to be earned.

The Influence of Level 3 and Level 4 Char

The barrel is far more than a container. It’s one of bourbon’s most important ingredients. J.D. Mason utilizes Level 3 and Level 4 char barrels to help build layers of flavor and complexity.

That interaction between bourbon, toasted oak, and char helps develop notes reminiscent of: Caramel • Vanilla • Toasted Oak • Baking Spice • Dark Roasted Notes • Subtle Smoke.

The goal isn’t to create a bourbon dominated by a single flavor. It’s to create one that evolves. Sweetness. Spice. Oak. Warmth. And a lingering finish. That’s where complexity becomes interesting.

Why 90 Proof?

J.D. Mason is bottled at 90 proof — 45% alcohol by volume. For us, that proof is part of the balance. There’s enough strength to allow the bourbon’s character and barrel influence to remain present, while maintaining the approachability we wanted the bourbon to have from the beginning.

Enjoy it neat. Pour it over a large cube. Add a splash of water. Or make your favorite classic bourbon cocktail. The bourbon should still have something to say.

Because complexity doesn’t have to overpower you to get your attention.

Before There Was a Bourbon, There Was a Friendship

The story of J.D. Mason didn’t begin in a distillery. It began with four friends—two couples—who built businesses, traveled together, played golf, shared great meals, celebrated successes, and enjoyed more than a few glasses of whiskey along the way.

There were airports. Eighteenth greens. Business conversations. Long dinners. Trips. Celebrations. And plenty of discussions about what makes a truly memorable whiskey.

Somewhere along the way, a simple idea emerged: What if we created a bourbon that represented the way we believed life should be enjoyed?

Work hard. Build something meaningful. Go somewhere interesting. Surround yourself with great people. And when there’s something worth celebrating, actually take the time to celebrate it.

That idea became J.D. Mason Bourbon.

Friends. Travel. Collaboration. Celebration.

Those four words aren’t simply part of our brand. They represent what inspired it.

Friends are the people who make the journey worthwhile. Travel creates the experiences and stories we’ll tell for years. Collaboration represents the idea that very few worthwhile things are accomplished alone. And celebration reminds us to stop occasionally and appreciate what we’ve built, experienced, and accomplished.

That’s what we wanted our bourbon to represent. Because we believe: Success is best enjoyed with the people who helped you get there.

So, What Makes Bourbon Great?

Ask ten bourbon drinkers and you may get ten different answers. For one person, it’s the sweetness of the corn. For another, it’s the spice of the rye. Maybe it’s the aroma of vanilla and oak when the glass first reaches your nose. Maybe it’s the warmth that develops after the first sip. Or maybe it’s simply knowing that the bourbon spent years patiently developing inside a barrel before anyone ever had the opportunity to taste it.

We think all of those things matter. But there’s another side of bourbon that doesn’t appear on a mash bill or proof statement.

Bourbon brings people together. It’s poured after the deal is closed. After the final putt drops. Around the dinner table. At the end of a long week. During vacations with friends. And during those stories you’ve heard twenty times but still somehow want to hear again.

Great bottles eventually become connected to great memories.

That’s the kind of bourbon we want J.D. Mason to become.

How to Experience Your First Glass

If you’re tasting J.D. Mason for the first time, don’t rush it. Pour a glass and give the bourbon a little time.

Look

Notice the color and depth that years in the barrel have helped create.

Nose

Bring the glass toward you slowly. Look for sweetness, vanilla, oak, spice, and deeper barrel characteristics.

Sip

Start with a small first sip and allow your palate to adjust. Then go back. The second and third sip are often where a complex bourbon begins revealing more of its personality.

Try adding a few drops of water and notice how the aromas and flavors change. Or pour J.D. Mason over one large cube and let the bourbon evolve as the ice slowly melts.

There’s no single correct way to enjoy a great bourbon. The right way is the way you enjoy it.

This Is Only the Beginning

This first edition of The J.D. Mason Journal is about what’s inside the bottle and the story that brought it to life. But we’re just getting started.

In future editions, we’ll explore bourbon tasting, cocktails, food pairings, golf, travel, behind-the-scenes stories, the people behind J.D. Mason, and the places becoming part of our journey.

Because J.D. Mason was never created simply to sit on a shelf. It was created to be opened. Poured. Shared. And remembered.

J.D. Mason Four Grain Straight Bourbon Whiskey

68% Corn • 20% Rye • 6% Wheat • 6% Barley
Six to Eight Years
90 Proof • 45% ALC/VOL

FRIENDS • TRAVEL • COLLABORATION • CELEBRATION

Success is best enjoyed with the people who helped you get there.

Explore J.D. Mason Bourbon →

Please enjoy responsibly.