Glossary: J

A jimador is a type of Mexican farmer who harvests agave plants used for Tequila, Mezcal and Sotol. 

Juleps are a style of cocktail. They are typified as a drink that is served over crushed ice and most often served with fresh mint in metal julep cups. The Bourbon-based Mint Julep is the best known of its genre, however, they can be made with gin, rye, brandy, brandy or rum.

Jackets are mounted on the outside of modern stills and act as a way of heating the pot. They provide efficient and spread even heat all around the pot, making them perfect to control the distillation of spirits. Sometimes they are filled with boiling water that pumps round (like a Bain Marie), while other times this is done via steam. 

Steam is the preferred option for most distilleries as it is more responsive and allows for faster temperature changes, but the cost of boilers, safety valves and more means that for the smaller operations – it’s not always a viable option.