Jackie Zykan is busy. She’s been busy for a long time. Recently, she was busy at Old Forester where she was deeply focused on the profile and structure of a fabled brand that’s defined Kentucky whiskey for over 150 years. She’s busy making whiskey-based perfume, Oduoak, based on bad Hinge dates and regretable drunken decisions. And Zykan’s busy making her own whiskey at Hidden Barn where she is searching for the perfect expression of dimensionality in her blends. Zykan’s passion’s not a surficial affectation, but the symptom of a scientist’s obsession with what makes up great whiskey and how making great whiskey can either fuck up the world or fix it.
What whiskey first made you say fuck yeah?
The first whiskey that made me say fuck yea was a single barrel pick from Four Roses. I remember it like it was yesterday. It has the most amazing chocolate covered cherry cordial flavor—you know, like the really shitty, crappy ones you get from a drug store in a box. They have such a unique flavor, and so this whiskey had that. It was this super, super low-proof barrel that was just ticked away in the shady underparts of the fucking warehouse out there. Yeah, I remember that barrel. I love that barrel of whiskey. That one made me go wait a minute, it’s not just good; this is something sacred.
If you weren’t making whiskey, you’d probably be . . .
When I’m not blending whiskey, I make perfume, which is the same process if you think about it. I started this brand making perfume using whiskey as a base. I don’t know how many times I’ve walked into a warehouse with people and they’re like ‘oh the smell, I wish I could just wear it.’ In my mind, I was like, well you could. No one’s stopping you from splashing yourself with whiskey. Whiskey is such a beautiful foundation for it. Aromatically speaking, it’s gorgeous.
What’s a fucked up way you drink whiskey you probably wouldn’t tell anyone if you weren’t filling out this questionnaire?
I put it in pina coladas. [At this juncture, the interviewer here at All American Whiskey suffered a debilitating perplexion . . .] I know that’s a purest’s nightmare, but I do it, and I’m not ashamed of it.
What’s a fucked up way someone you know drinks whiskey that makes you want to throw them off a cliff, and seriously, Jesus Hashtag Christ, why, Darryll? Why?
I’m about to ruffle every feather. I might even ruffle your feathers. Are you ready? I’m not opposed to this being an occasional thing; I’m not opposed to anything in moderation. But if you’re a person who will only drink it neat and won’t get outside this box we probably aren’t gonna be friends in real life.
What song makes you car dance?
Give a quote from a movie you obsess over:
“How am I not myself?”
Jude Law playing Brad Strand
I Heart Huckabees
Besides making whiskey, what do you do right?
I am a fucking trail beast. I am. I get a lot of miles in. I rock high altitude hi9kes all the time. I am really good at walking outside.
Sum up the essence of great whiskey with a single word.
Dimension. I don’t want a whiskey that tastes like one thing. I don’t want a whiskey that tastes like five things. There are whiskies out there that do such a good job of showcasing so many notes that you never get tired of talking to it. That’s the key. It’s not a small talk pour.
What moment during your process strikes you as perfect?
It never happens. I wish. God, wouldn’t that be great? To have one moment that’s like ‘yep.’ You can always keep adding and adding and adding. When the first sip of the finished product meets or exceeds your expectations, that’s the moment.
What are you reading?
Deeply Holistic—a guide to intuitive self-care. I always carry two books with me when I travel: Nine Stories, by J.D. Salinger, and Breakfast of Champions, by Kurt Vonnegut.
Who would you like to see answer these questions?
Jim Rutledge.
