Jack Daniel's

The Jack Daniel's brand's official website suggests that its founder, Jasper Newton "Jack" Daniel, was born in 1850 (his tombstone bears that date), but says his exact birth date is unknown. The company website says it is customary to celebrate his birthday in September.[http://www.jackdaniels.com/ "People" section of Jack Daniel's website]. Retrieved: March 20, 2014. According to the Tennessee state library website in 2013, records list his birth date as September 5, 1846. It maintains that the 1850 birth date seems impossible since his mother died in 1847.{{cite web|url=http://www.tennessee.gov/tsla/exhibits/myth/mythcellaneous.htm |title=Tennessee Myths and Legends |publisher=Tennessee State Library and Archives |access-date=July 23, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131224174012/http://www.tennessee.gov/tsla/exhibits/myth/mythcellaneous.htm |archive-date=December 24, 2013 }} In the 2004 biography Blood & Whiskey: The Life and Times of Jack Daniel, author Peter Krass said his investigation showed that Daniel was born in January 1849 (based on Jack's sister's diary, census records, and the date of death of Jack's mother).{{cite video|url=http://www.c-span.org/video/?182362-1/book-discussion-blood-whiskey-jack-daniel |title=Book Discussion: Blood & Whiskey: The Life and Times of Jack Daniel |website=C-SPAN}}

Jack was the youngest of 10 children born to his mother, Lucinda (Cook) Daniel, and father Calaway Daniel. After Lucinda's death, his father remarried and had three more children. Calaway Daniel's father, Joseph "Job" Daniel, had emigrated from Wales to the United States with his Scottish wife, the former Elizabeth Calaway.Jeanne Ridgway Bigger, "Jack Daniel's Distillery and Lynchburg: A Visit to Moore County, Tennessee", Tennessee Historical Quarterly, Vol. 31, No. 1 (Spring 1972), pp. 3-21. Jack Daniel's ancestry included English, and Scots-Irish as well.[https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&q=cache:xc_Y0nHIGuwJ:media.wiley.com/product_data/excerpt/29/04712739/0471273929.pdf+jack+daniel+emigrant+anceotro+joseph&hl=en&gl=uk&pid=bl&srcid=ADGEESiCmPyo2WgcYxL_Viv3PWmp8P40WSUMuTAzsuDW6JDHwDaYNiCP8DtHqtBydc4IozaANnOo-0uGYQeixcZ90TOIvciiR_Y4BW-UmjyYMcZu2BxK-MweZi2Bpm523yrNgmXIEOk0&sig=AHIEtbQ_2UkgbTlWxHBCuGDqpH5jJawStA Jasper "Jack" Newton Daniel]. {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160407075539/http://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&q=cache%3Axc_Y0nHIGuwJ%3Amedia.wiley.com%2Fproduct_data%2Fexcerpt%2F29%2F04712739%2F0471273929.pdf+jack+daniel+emigrant+anceotro+joseph&hl=en&gl=uk&pid=bl&srcid=ADGEESiCmPyo2WgcYxL_Viv3PWmp8P40WSUMuTAzsuDW6JDHwDaYNiCP8DtHqtBydc4IozaANnOo-0uGYQeixcZ90TOIvciiR_Y4BW-UmjyYMcZu2BxK-MweZi2Bpm523yrNgmXIEOk0&sig=AHIEtbQ_2UkgbTlWxHBCuGDqpH5jJawStA |date=April 7, 2016 }}{{better source needed|date=January 2019}}

Jack did not get along with his stepmother. After Daniel's father died in the Civil War, the boy was legally adopted by a family friend named Felix Waggoner, but was soon taken in by another local farmer named Dan Call.

{{stack|File:Jack Daniel (brewer).jpg, founder (ca 1890s; ca age 50)]]}}

As a teenager, Daniel was taken in by Dan Call, a local lay preacher and moonshine distiller. He began learning the distilling trade from Call and his Master Distiller, Nathan "Nearest" Green, an enslaved African-American man. Green was known to specialize in the Lincoln County Process, a distilling process that filters the whiskey through sugar maple charcoal.{{Cite web |last=Floyd |first=Tiffany |title=Nathan "Nearest" Green |url=https://www.whiskeyuniv.com/g-nathan-nearest-green |access-date=2023-11-02 |website=Whiskey University |language=en-US}} This process created the distinction between bourbon and the Tennessee whiskey known today. While under Green as an apprentice, Daniel was taught the Lincoln County Process. Green continued to work with Call after emancipation.

In 1875, on receiving an inheritance from his father's estate (following a long dispute with his siblings), Daniel founded a legally registered distilling business with Call. He took over the distillery shortly afterward when Call quit for religious reasons. The brand label on the product says "Est. & Reg. in 1866", but his biographer has cited official registration documents, asserting that the business was not established until 1875.{{cite book |last1=Krass |first1=Peter |year=2004 |title=Blood and whiskey: the life and times of Jack Daniel |location=Hoboken, New Jersey |publisher=Wiley |isbn=0-471-27392-9}} (page 7 saying "after he was born in 1849", and page 19 saying "By the time Jack was born in January 1849, ...")

After taking over the distillery in 1884, Daniel purchased the hollow and land where the distillery is now located. By the 1880s, Jack Daniel's was one of 15 distilleries operating in Moore County, and the second-most productive behind Tom Eaton's Distillery.Carroll Van West, Megan Dobbs, and Brian Eades, [http://digital.mtsu.edu/cdm/compoundobject/collection/p15838coll4/id/2273/rec/94 National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form for Lynchburg Historic District], Southern Places Database (MTSU Center for Historic Preservation), 1995. He began using square-shaped bottles, intended to convey a sense of fairness and integrity, in 1897.

According to Daniel's biographer, the origin of the "Old No. 7" brand name was the number assigned to Daniel's distillery for government registration. He was forced to change the registration number when the federal government redrew the district, and he became Number 16 in district 5 instead of No. 7 in district 4. However, he continued to use his original number as a brand name, since the brand reputation had already been established. An entirely different explanation is given in the 1967 book Jack Daniel's Legacy which states that the name was chosen in 1887 after a visit to a merchant friend in Tullahoma, who had built a chain of seven stores.{{cite book |title=Jack Daniel's Legacy |first=Ben A. |last=Green |location=Shelbyville, Tennessee |date=1967 }}

Jack Daniel's had a surge in popularity after the whiskey received the gold medal for the finest whiskey at the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair. However, its local reputation began to suffer as the temperance movement began gaining strength in Tennessee.

{{stack|File:Lem-Motlow-house-tn1.jpg}}

Jack Daniel never married and did not have any known children. He took his nephews under his wing – one of whom was Lemuel "Lem" Motlow (1869–1947).

In failing health, Jack Daniel gave the distillery to Lem Motlow and another nephew in 1907.

Tennessee passed a statewide prohibition law in 1910, effectively barring the legal distillation of Jack Daniel's within the state. Motlow challenged the law in a test case that eventually worked its way to the Tennessee Supreme Court. The court upheld the law as constitutional.{{cite journal |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TIcEAAAAYAAJ&dq=%22Motlow+v.+State%22+%22from+moore%22&pg=PA557 |title=Motlow v. State |journal=Reports of Cases Argued and Determined in the Supreme Court of Tennessee |volume=125 |date=1912 |pages=557-594 }}{{cite web |url=http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83030272/1912-03-17/ed-1/seq-1/#date1=1910&sort=relevance&date2=1912&searchType=advanced&language=&sequence=0&index=7&words=Daniel+Jack&proxdistance=5&state=&rows=20&ortext=&proxtext=&phrasetext=jack+daniel&andtext=&dateFilterType=yearRange&page=6 |title=Can't Make Whiskey There |work=The New York Sun |date=1912-03-17 |page=1 }}

In 1911, Daniel died from blood poisoning. An oft-told tale is that the infection began in one of his toes, which Daniel injured one early morning at work by kicking his safe in anger when he could not get it open (he was said to always have had trouble remembering the combination).{{cite book |last=Freeth |first=N. |date=2005 |title=Made in America: from Levis to Barbie to Google |location=St. Paul, MN |publisher=MBI }} Daniel's modern biographer has asserted, however, that this account is not true.

Because of prohibition in Tennessee, the company shifted its distilling operations to St Louis, Missouri, and Birmingham, Alabama. None of the production from these locations was ever sold due to quality problems.{{cite web |url=http://www.thewhiskyguide.com/America/Jack_Daniel_Distillery.html |title=Jack Daniel Distillery |work=The Whisky Guide |access-date=2009-10-08 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100109133641/http://www.thewhiskyguide.com/America/Jack_Daniel_Distillery.html |archive-date=2010-01-09 }}

While the passage of the Twenty-first Amendment in 1933 repealed prohibition at the federal level, state prohibition laws (including Tennessee's) remained in effect, thus preventing the Lynchburg distillery from reopening. Motlow, who had become a Tennessee state senator, led efforts to repeal these laws, which allowed production to restart in 1938. The five-year gap between national repeal and Tennessee repeal was commemorated in 2008 with a gift pack of two bottles, one for the 75th anniversary of the end of prohibition and a second commemorating the 70th anniversary of the reopening of the distillery.{{cite web |url=http://www.redorbit.com/news/business/1435109/brownforman_unveils_plans_to_celebrate_75th_anniversary_of_end_of/index.html |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120910120128/http://www.redorbit.com/news/business/1435109/brownforman_unveils_plans_to_celebrate_75th_anniversary_of_end_of/index.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=2012-09-10 |title=Brown-Forman Unveils Plans to Celebrate 75th Anniversary of End of Prohibition |date=2008-06-16 |access-date=2009-10-08 |work=RedOrbit}}

From 1942 to 1946, the Jack Daniel's distillery ceased operations when the U.S. government banned the manufacture of whiskey due to World War II. Motlow resumed production of Jack Daniel's in 1947 after good-quality corn was again available. Motlow died the same year, bequeathing the distillery to his children, Robert, Reagor, Dan, Conner, and Mary, upon his death.{{cite web |url=http://www.jackdaniels.com/history/lem-motlow |title=Lem Motlow |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130604064918/http://www.jackdaniels.com/history/lem-motlow |archivedate=2013-06-04 |work=Jack Daniel's website |accessdate=2024-03-20 }}

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The company was later incorporated as "Jack Daniel Distillery, Lem Motlow, Prop., Inc.", allowing the company to continue to include Motlow in its tradition-oriented marketing. Likewise, company advertisements continue to use Lynchburg's 1960s-era population figure of 361, though the city has since formed a consolidated city-county government with Moore County. Its official population is more than 6,000, according to the 2010 census.{{fact|date=May 2025}}

In 1956, the company was sold to the Brown–Forman Corporation.{{cite magazine|url= http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,836197,00.html|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20080222003202/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,836197,00.html|url-status= dead|archive-date=2008-02-22| title=Slight Change of Recipe|access-date=2008-07-25 | date=1966-08-05 |magazine=Time }}

In 1972, the Jack Daniel's Distillery was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.{{cite web |title=Jack Daniel Distillery |url={{NRHP url|id=72001248}} |publisher=National Park Service}}

In 2012, a Welshman, Mark Evans, claimed to have discovered the original recipe for Daniel's whiskey in a book written in 1853 by his great-great-grandmother. Evans said that his great-great-grandmother's brother-in-law, John "Jack the lad" Daniels, had taken the recipe to Tennessee.{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2012/jun/16/welsh-man-recipe-jack-daniels |title=Welshman claims to have found original Jack Daniel's whiskey recipe |first=Jo |last=Adetunji |newspaper=The Guardian |date=2012-06-16 |access-date=2016-09-19}}

File:Jack-Daniels-1908-ad.jpg

Until 1987, Jack Daniel's black label was historically produced at 90 U.S. proof (45% alcohol by volume).{{cite news|url=https://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/food/2004-09-29-jack-daniels_x.htm|title=Drinkers object to Jack Daniel's watering whiskey down|work=USA Today|date=September 29, 2004|access-date=March 9, 2012}} The lower-end green label product was 80 proof. However, starting in 1987, the other label variations also were reduced in proof. This began with black label being initially reduced to 86 proof. Both the black and green label expressions are made from the same ingredients; the difference is determined by professional tasters, who decide which of the batches would be sold under the "premium" black label, with the rest being sold as "standard" green label.

A further dilution began in 2002 when all generally available Jack Daniel's products were reduced to 80 proof, thus further lowering production costs and excise taxes.[http://adage.com/article/news/weaker-jack-daniel-s-spirits-strongman/103213/ "Weaker Jack Daniel's Becomes Spirits Strongman"], Advertising Age, May 16, 2005. This reduction in alcohol content, which was done without any announcement, publicity or change of logo or packaging, was noticed and condemned by Modern Drunkard Magazine, and the magazine formed a petition drive for drinkers who disagreed with the change. The company countered that it believed consumers preferred lower-proof products, and said that the change had not hurt the sales of the brand. The petition effort garnered some publicity and collected more than 13,000 signatures, but the company held firm with its decision.[http://drunkard.com/archive/editors_archive/jack_news_front.html "A Legacy Betrayed"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160120171845/http://drunkard.com/archive/editors_archive/jack_news_front.html |date=January 20, 2016 }}, Modern Drunkard Magazine, 2002. A few years later, Advertising Age said in 2005 that "virtually no one noticed" the change, and confirmed that sales of the brand had actually increased since the dilution began.

Jack Daniel's has also produced higher-proof special releases and premium-brand expressions at times. A one-time limited run of 96 proof, the highest proof Jack Daniel's had ever bottled at that time, was bottled for the 1996 Tennessee Bicentennial in a decorative bicentennial bottle. The distillery debuted its 94 proof "Jack Daniel's Single Barrel" in February 1997. The Silver Select Single Barrel was formerly the company's highest proof at 100, but is available only in duty-free shops. Now, there are 'single barrel barrel proof' editions, ranging from 125 to 140 proof.

Jack Daniel's Black Label Tennessee Whiskey is the best-selling whiskey in the world{{cite magazine|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2012/01/jack-daniels-secret-the-history-of-the-worlds-most-famous-whiskey/250966/|title=Jack Daniel's Secret: The History of the World's Most Famous Whiskey|magazine=The Atlantic|author=Stengel, Jim|access-date=March 26, 2012}} and remains the flagship product of Brown–Forman Corporation. In 2017 the product had sales of 12.9 million cases.{{cite web|url=https://www.thespiritsbusiness.com/2018/06/top-10-best-selling-world-whiskey-brands/11/|title=Top 10 best-selling world whisk(e)y brands|author=Owen Bellwood|date=June 26, 2018 |publisher=thespiritbusiness.com|access-date=April 23, 2023}} Underlying net sales for the Jack Daniel's brand grew by 3% (−1% on a reported basis).{{clarify|date=June 2018}} Other brand variations, such as Tennessee Honey, Gentleman Jack, and Tennessee Fire, added another 2.9 million cases to sales. Sales of an additional 800,000 equivalent cases in ready to drink (RTD) products brought the fiscal year total to more than 16.1 million equivalent adjusted cases for the entire Jack Daniel's family of brands.{{Cite web|url=https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170607005668/en/Brown-Forman-Reports-Fiscal-2017-Results-Expects-Stronger|title=Brown-Forman Reports Fiscal 2017 Results; Expects Stronger Trends to Continue in Fiscal 2018|date=June 7, 2017|website=Brown–Forman Corporation (official website) |access-date=May 17, 2018}}

Tennessee Honey and Tennessee Fire were also solid contributors to the total underlying net sales growth of 3% (flat on a reported basis) for the Jack Daniel's family of brands. They grew underlying net sales by 4% and 14% (3% and 18% on a reported basis), respectively. Premium brand Gentleman Jack grew underlying net sales mid-single digits, while the RTD/RTP segment increased underlying net sales by 6% (3% on a reported basis).

In the IWSR 2013 World Class Brands rankings of wine and spirits brands, Jack Daniel's was ranked third on the global level.{{cite news|url=http://www.business-standard.com/article/companies/diageo-tops-iwsr-s-brand-rankings-113090300683_1.html|title=Diageo tops IWSR's brand rankings|date=September 5, 2013|access-date=May 7, 2015|newspaper=Business Standard}} More recently, in 2017, it ranked at number 16 on the IWSR's Real 100 Spirits Brands Worldwide list.{{Cite web|url=https://www.just-drinks.com/analysis/the-iwsr-real-100-spirits-brands-worldwide-the-facts_id123433.aspx|title=The IWSR Real 100 Spirits Brands Worldwide – The Facts|date=June 27, 2017|website=just-drinks.com|access-date=May 17, 2018|archive-date=May 17, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180517223903/https://www.just-drinks.com/analysis/the-iwsr-real-100-spirits-brands-worldwide-the-facts_id123433.aspx|url-status=dead}} Additionally, the brand evaluation consultancy Intangible Business ranked Jack Daniel's fourth on its Power 100 Spirits and Wine list in both 2014 and 2015.{{cite web|url=http://www.rankingthebrands.com/The-Brand-Rankings.aspx?rankingID=136&year=805|title=The Power 100 Spirits & Wine|date=2014|website=RankingTheBrands|publisher=Intangible Business|access-date=May 7, 2015}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.rankingthebrands.com/The-Brand-Rankings.aspx?rankingID=136&year=949|title=The Power 100 Spirits & Wine {{!}} 2015|website=rankingthebrands.com|access-date=May 17, 2018}}

File:Holden VE Commodore of Todd Kelly.jpg Holden Commodore VE of Todd Kelly at the 2010 Clipsal 500 Adelaide]]

From 2006 until 2015, Jack Daniel's sponsored V8 Supercar teams Perkins Engineering and Kelly Racing.[http://www.speedcafe.com/2015/11/25/jack-daniels-set-to-exit-v8-supercars/ Jack Daniel's set to exit V8 Supercars] Speedcafe November 25, 2015 Jack Daniel's also sponsored the Richard Childress Racing 07 car (numbered after the "Old No. 7") in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series from 2005 to 2009, beginning with driver Dave Blaney and soon moving to Clint Bowyer."Jack Daniel's will end NASCAR sponsorship; Company backed a team for 5 years". The Tennessean, September 22, 2009. Jack Daniel's also sponsors Zac Brown Band's tours.

In September 2022, Jack Daniel's signed a multi-year partnership deal with McLaren starting from the 2023 season onwards.{{Cite web |last=Flicker |first=Jonah |date=2022-09-14 |title=Jack Daniel's Will Sponsor McLaren's Formula 1 Team Next Year |url=https://robbreport.com/food-drink/spirits/jack-daniels-partners-mclaren-formula-1234748116/ |access-date= |website=Robb Report |language=en-US}} As part of the partnership, Jack Daniel's released a McLaren Racing limited edition of the Old No. 7 which paid tribute to the founders of both companies – Jack Daniel and Bruce McLaren.{{Cite web |last=Flicker |first=Jonah |date=2023-04-27 |title=Jack Daniel's and McLaren's F1 Team Tease Their First Limited Edition Whiskey Collab |url=https://robbreport.com/food-drink/spirits/jack-daniels-mclaren-racing-tennessee-whiskey-limited-edition-bottle-1234836324/ |access-date=2023-05-05 |website=Robb Report |language=en-US}} For the 2023 Las Vegas Grand Prix, McLaren raced a special Jack Daniel's branded livery with a Jack Daniel's collage highlighted across both cars' rear sidepod and engine cover.{{Cite magazine |last=Jogia |first=Saajan |date=2023-11-16 |title=F1 News: McLaren Adds The Jack Daniel's Touch On Its Cars For The Las Vegas GP |url=https://www.si.com/fannation/racing/f1briefings/news/f1-news-mclaren-adds-the-jack-daniels-touch-on-its-cars-for-the-las-vegas-gp-sj4 |access-date=2023-11-20 |magazine=Sports Illustrated |language=en}}

Former Master Distillers include Nathan "Nearest" Green (1875–81),{{cite web|url=https://www.jackdaniels.com/vault/how-jack-daniel-came-make-whiskey| title=Nearest Green: Jack Daniel's First Master Distiller | date=May 25, 2017 }} Jess Motlow (1911–41), Lem Tolley (1941–64), Jess Gamble (1964–66), and Frank Bobo (1966–92).{{cite web|url=https://www.jackdaniels.com/our-story|title=The story of Jack Daniel's|date=May 25, 2017}}

Jimmy Bedford held the position for 20 years.{{cite news|last=Hevesi|first=Dennis|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/11/business/11bedford.html|title=Jimmy Bedford, Guardian of Jack Daniel's, Dies at 69|work=The New York Times|date=August 10, 2009|access-date=August 11, 2009}} Bedford retired in mid-2008 after being the subject of a $3.5 million sexual harassment lawsuit against the company that ended in an out-of-court settlement, and he died on August 7, 2009, after suffering a heart attack at his home in Lynchburg.{{cite web|url=http://www.wrcbtv.com/Global/story.asp?S=10869064 |title=Former Jack Daniel's master distiller dies at 69 |publisher=WRCB |date=August 7, 2009 |access-date=August 11, 2009 }}{{dead link|date=June 2016|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}

Jeff Arnett, a company employee since 2001, became Master Distiller in 2008. On September 3, 2020, Arnett announced that he was stepping down from the company.{{Cite web|date=September 3, 2020|title=Jack Daniel's master distiller stepping down after 12 years|url=https://apnews.com/article/48243bbc19c22a241d345ff4750cefa4|access-date=April 21, 2021|website=AP NEWS}} On April 20, 2021, he announced that he and partners were opening Company Distilling, a new whiskey distillery, near the Great Smokey Mountains.{{Cite web|title=Ex-Jack Daniel's distiller to make new whiskey in Tennessee|url=https://apnews.com/article/travel-lifestyle-business-tennessee-a5b101b706d11136a69e14f4dd1386ab|access-date=April 21, 2021|website=AP NEWS|date=April 20, 2021}}

Chris Fletcher became the 8th Master Distiller in 2020 after serving as Assistant Master Distiller for six years prior. Fletcher is the grandson of former Master Distiller, Frank Bobo.{{cite press release|url=https://www.jackdaniels.com/en-us/vault/chris-fletcher-master-distiller-press-release/|title=Chris Fletcher: Jack Daniel's New Master Distiller|date=October 7, 2020|publisher=Jack Daniel's}}

A Tennessee Squire is a member of the Tennessee Squire Association, which was formed in 1956 to honor special friends of the Jack Daniel's distillery.{{cite web|url=http://www.jdcollectorspage.com/TSAssociation.html|title=The Jack Daniel's Tennessee Squire Association|author=JeePee}}{{self-published inline|date=March 2022}} Many prominent business and entertainment professionals are included among the membership, which is obtained only through recommendation of a current member. Squires receive a wallet card and deed certificate proclaiming them as "owner" of an unrecorded plot of land at the distillery and an honorary citizen of Moore County, Tennessee.{{Cite web|url=https://www.tennesseesquires.com/login|title=Tennessee Squires Association}}{{primary source inline|date=March 2022}}

File:Making charcoal at Jack Daniels, Jack Daniel Distillery, Lynchburg (pop. 361), Tennessee.jpg

File:Casks of Jack Daniel's Whiskey.jpg

The mash for Jack Daniel's is composed of 80% corn, 12% rye, and 8% malted barley, and is distilled in copper stills.{{Cite book |last1=Waymack |first1=Mark H. |url=https://openlibrary.org/books/OL784496M/The_book_of_classic_American_whiskeys |page=188 |title=The Book of Classic American Whiskeys |last2=Harris |first2=James |date=August 1995 |isbn=9780812693065|ol=784496M }} It is then filtered through {{convert|10|ft|m|0|adj=on}} stacks of sugar maple charcoal. The company refers to this filtering step as "mellowing". This extra step, known as the Lincoln County Process, removes impurities and the taste of corn.{{cite book |last1=Axelrod |first1=Alan |title=The complete idiot's guide to mixing drinks |publisher=Alpha Books |location=Indianapolis, IN |isbn=0-02-864468-9 |lccn=2002117443 |year=2003 }} The company argues this extra step makes the product different from bourbon. However, Tennessee whiskey is required to be "a straight Bourbon Whiskey" under terms of the North American Free Trade Agreement{{Cite web|url=http://www.sice.oas.org/trade/nafta/chap-034.asp|title=NAFTA - Chapter 3 - Annex 307.3 to Annex 315|website=www.sice.oas.org}} and Canadian law.{{Cite web |url=http://laws.justice.gc.ca/eng/C.R.C.-C.870/page-1.html#anchorbo-ga:l_B-gb:l_2 |title=Canada Food and Drug regulations, C.R.C. C.870, provision B.02.022.1 |access-date=June 15, 2011 |archive-date=January 6, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110106023525/http://laws.justice.gc.ca/eng/C.R.C.-c.870/page-1.html#anchorbo-ga:l_B-gb:l_2 |url-status=dead }} A distinctive aspect of the filtering process is that the Jack Daniel's brand grinds its charcoal before using it for filtering.[https://web.archive.org/web/20150606150632/http://www.whisky.com/whisky-database/distilleries/details/fdb/Distilleries/Details//jack-daniels.html Jack Daniel's] on Whisky.com After the filtering, the whiskey is stored in newly handcrafted oak barrels, which give the whiskey its color and most of its flavor.

The product label mentions that it is a "sour mash" whiskey, which means that when the mash is prepared, some of the wet solids from a previously used batch are mixed in to help make the fermentation process operate more consistently. This is common practice in American whiskey production. ({{As of|2005}}, all straight bourbon is produced using the sour mash process.{{cite web|url=http://www.straightbourbon.com/faq.html#11|title=The Straightbourbon FAQ|publisher=Straight Bourbon.com|access-date=April 19, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120417213621/http://www.straightbourbon.com/faq.html#11|archive-date=April 17, 2012|url-status=dead}})

Prior to 2014, the company's barrels were produced by Brown-Forman in Louisville, Kentucky. That year, the company opened a new cooperage in Trinity, Alabama.{{cite book |last1=McCarley |first1=Daniel J. |title=Jack Daniel's Bottle Collector's Guide - Volume 2 |date=2021 |isbn=978-0578898988 |pages=99–100|publisher=Daniel J McCarley }}{{cite news |last1=Schelzig |first1=Erik |title=Jack Daniel's opens Alabama barrel making facility |url=https://www.montgomeryadvertiser.com/story/money/business/2014/07/07/jack-daniels-opens-alabama-barrel-making-facility/12326683/ |access-date=8 March 2022 |agency=Montgomery Advertiser |date=July 7, 2014}}

On a state level, Tennessee has imposed stringent requirements. To be labeled as Tennessee whiskey, it is not enough under state law that the whiskey be produced in Tennessee; it must meet quality and production standards. These are the same standards used by Jack Daniel's Distillery, and some other distillers are displeased with the requirements being enshrined into law.{{cite news |url=https://finance.yahoo.com/news/jack-daniels-faces-whiskey-rebellion-233400546.html |first1=Mike |last1=Esterl |title=Jack Daniels Faces Whiskey Rebellion |newspaper=The Wall Street Journal |date=March 18, 2014 |access-date=March 18, 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140319022345/http://finance.yahoo.com/news/jack-daniels-faces-whiskey-rebellion-233400546.html |archive-date=March 19, 2014 }}

On May 13, 2013, Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam signed House Bill 1084, requiring the Lincoln County process to be used for products produced in the state labeling themselves as "Tennessee Whiskey", with a particular exception tailored to exempt Benjamin Prichard's, and including the existing requirements for bourbon.{{cite web|last=Zandona|first=Eric|title=Tennessee Whiskey Gets a Legal Definition|url=http://www.ezdrinking.com/ezdrinking/2013/9/14/tennessee-whiskey-gets-a-legal-definition|work=EZdrinking|access-date=January 11, 2014|archive-date=January 7, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140107200404/http://www.ezdrinking.com/ezdrinking/2013/9/14/tennessee-whiskey-gets-a-legal-definition|url-status=dead}}{{cite web |url=http://static.squarespace.com/static/5101b837e4b0202016c6b5c9/t/52363a84e4b0855d9f5aca50/1379285636684/Tennesee%20Whiskey%20Law.pdf |title=Public Chapter No. 341 |publisher=State of Tennessee |access-date=March 19, 2014}} As federal law requires statements of origin on labels to be accurate, the Tennessee law effectively gives a firm definition to Tennessee whiskey, requiring Tennessee origin, maple charcoal filtering by the Lincoln County process prior to aging, and the basic requirements of bourbon (at least 51% corn, new oak barrels, charring of the barrels, and limits on alcohol by volume concentration for distillation, aging, and bottling).

In 2014 legislation was introduced in the Tennessee legislature that would modify the 2013 law to allow the reuse of oak barrels in the Tennessee whiskey aging process. Jack Daniel's Master Distiller Jeff Arnett vehemently opposed the legislation, arguing the reuse of barrels would require the use of artificial colorings and flavorings, and would render Tennessee whiskey an inferior product to Scotch and bourbon.Robert Holman, "[http://www.tullahomanews.com/?p=22689&wpmp_switcher=mobile Jack Daniel Denounces Barrel Legislation]", The Tullahoma News, March 18, 2014.

The company was the subject of a proposal to locally surtax its product in 2011. It was claimed that the distillery, the main employer in a company town, had capitalized on the bucolic image of Lynchburg, Tennessee, and it ought to pay a tax of $10 per barrel. The company responded that such a tax is a confiscatory imposition penalizing it for the success of the enterprise.{{cite news |url=https://www.foxnews.com/politics/jack-daniels-faces-more-taxes-from-cash-strapped-hometown-in-tennessee/ |title=Jack Daniel's Faces More Taxes From Cash-Strapped Hometown in Tennessee |first1=John |last1=Roberts |date=October 21, 2011 |publisher=Fox News |access-date=March 24, 2014}} The proposed tax faced a vote by the Metro Lynchburg-Moore County Council and was defeated 10–5.{{cite news|last1=Ghianni|first1=Tim|title=Jack Daniel's wins battle over whiskey barrel tax|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-tennessee-whiskey-idUSTRE7AL1OR20111122|access-date=September 7, 2014|work=Reuters|agency=Reuters|date=November 22, 2011}}

Moore County, where the Jack Daniel's distillery is located, is one of the state's many dry counties. While it is legal to distill the product within the county, it is illegal to purchase it there.{{cite web|title=Tennessee Jurisdictions Allowing Liquor Sales|url=http://www.state.tn.us/abc/PDF/TennesseeJurisdictionsAllowingLiquorSales/TNJurisdictionsLiquorSales_9-26-13.pdf|publisher=Tennessee Alcoholic Beverage Commission|access-date=September 8, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140207060938/http://www.state.tn.us/abc/PDF/TennesseeJurisdictionsAllowingLiquorSales/TNJurisdictionsLiquorSales_9-26-13.pdf|archive-date=February 7, 2014}}{{failed verification|date=March 2022}} However, a state law has provided one exception: a distillery may sell one commemorative product at a time, regardless of county statutes.The Tennessee General Assembly passed a 1994 special act for selling commemorative decanters containing Jack Daniel's Tennessee Whiskey on January 2, 1995.{{Full citation needed|date=April 2024}}

• Old No. 7, also known as "Black Label": this is the original Jack Daniel's label (80 proof/40% ABV; previously 90 proof/45% ABV until 1987).
• Gentleman Jack: Charcoal filtered twice, compared to once with Old No. 7 (80 proof/40% ABV)
• Single Barrel: (94 proof/47% ABV)
• 1907: sold in the Australian market (74 proof/37% ABV)
• Añejo Tequila Barrel-Finished Tennessee Whiskey: limited edition
• Bottled-In-Bond only on military bases (100 proof/50% ABV)
• Green Label: A lighter-bodied bottling of Old No. 7 (80 proof/40% ABV)
• No. 27 Gold: Limited release (80 proof/40% ABV)
• Silver Select: (100 proof/50% ABV).
• Sinatra Select: named for Frank Sinatra (90 proof / 45% ABV)
• Sinatra Century: limited edition released for Sinatra's 100th birthday (100 proof / 50% ABV)
• Single Barrel Barrel Proof (125–140 proof / 62.5–70% ABV)
• Single Barrel Rye: launched 2016 (94 proof/47% ABV){{Cite web|url=http://cocktailenthusiast.com/jack-daniels-launches-single-barrel-rye|title=Jack Daniel's Launches Single Barrel Rye|website=Cocktail Enthusiast|language=en-US|access-date=March 11, 2016|date=February 10, 2016}}
• Single Barrel Select Eric Church Edition (94 proof/47% ABV)
• Tennessee Rye: (90 proof/45% ABV)

• Tennessee Honey: Honey liqueur blended with less than 20% whiskey (70 proof/35% ABV)
• Tennessee Fire: Cinnamon liqueur blended with less than 20% whiskey (70 proof/35% ABV)
• Tennessee Apple: Apple liqueur blended with less than 20% whiskey (70 proof/35% ABV)
• Winter Jack: Seasonal blend of apple cider liqueur and spices (30 proof/15% ABV){{cite web|url=http://www.jackdaniels.com/whiskey/winter-jack|title=Verify Age | Jack Daniel's Tennessee Whiskey|access-date=November 1, 2013|archive-date=September 20, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130920144139/http://www.jackdaniels.com/whiskey/winter-jack|url-status=dead}}{{secondary source needed|date=August 2023}}

File:Jack Daniel statue.JPG

The Jack Daniel Distillery in Lynchburg is situated in and around a hollow known as "Stillhouse Hollow" or "Jack Daniel's Hollow", where a spring flows from a cave at the base of a limestone cliff. The limestone removes iron from the water, making it ideal for distilling whiskey (water heavy in iron gives whiskey a bad taste). The spring feeds into nearby East Fork Mulberry Creek, which is part of the Elk River watershed. Some 1.9 million barrels containing the aging whiskey are stored in several dozen barrelhouses, some of which adorn the adjacent hilltops and are visible throughout Lynchburg.

The distillery is a major tourist attraction, drawing more than a quarter of a million visitors annually.Beth Haynes, "[http://archive.wbir.com/news/article/219311/207/HomeGrown-Jack-Daniels-Distillery HomeGrown: Jack Daniel's Distillery] {{webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20140322023007/http://archive.wbir.com/news/article/219311/207/HomeGrown-Jack-Daniels-Distillery |date=March 22, 2014 }}", WBIR.com, December 4, 2012. Retrieved: March 21, 2014. The visitor center, dedicated in June 2000, contains memorabilia related to the distillery and a gift shop. Paid tours of the distillery are conducted several times per day and a premium sampling tour is also offered.[https://www.jackdaniels.com/en-us/visit-us#tour Jack Daniel's Tours], Jack Daniel's official website. Retrieved: December 21, 2017.

In February 2016 a $140 million expansion was announced for the distillery, including a plan to expand the visitors center and add two more barrel houses.{{cite news|last1=Lind|first1=JR|title=Jack Daniel's announces $140M expansion|url=http://www.nashvillepost.com/business/retail/article/20489639/jack-daniels-announces-140m-expansion|access-date=March 10, 2016|agency=Nashville Post|date=February 10, 2016}}

• Jack Daniel's is the alcoholic component of "Jack and Coke", a common variant of a highball also known as Bourbon and Coke.Walker, Tracy. [http://www.beveragebusiness.com/bbcontent/art-arch/walker0903.html Walker] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060510161954/http://www.beveragebusiness.com/bbcontent/art-arch/walker0903.html |date=May 10, 2006 }}. "It's clear that brown spirits have gained momentum, particularly the Tennessee whiskey segment." Retrieved February 1, 2007. In January 2016, Food and Beverage magazine dubbed the drink "The Lemmy" in honor of singer and bassist from the band Motörhead, Lemmy Kilmister, who died in December 2015, as it was his regular drink.{{cite web|title=The Lemmy|url=https://www.fb101.com/2016/01/the-lemmy/|website=Food & Beverage Magazine|access-date=December 17, 2016|date=January 12, 2016|archive-date=December 5, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201205114102/https://www.fb101.com/2016/01/the-lemmy/|url-status=dead}}
• Jack Daniel's is also the alcoholic component of "Lynchburg Lemonade".{{cite web|url=http://www.jackdaniels.com/Recipes/Cocktails.aspx|title=Jack Daniel Recipes|access-date=October 16, 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111019214230/http://www.jackdaniels.com/Recipes/Cocktails.aspx|archive-date=October 19, 2011}}
• Jack Daniel's is a common choice for the Tennessee Whiskey component of the "Three Wise Men".

File:Grain mill at Jack Daniel's Distillery.jpg|Grain mill at Jack Daniel's Distillery

File:Whiskey barrels.jpg|Whiskey barrels in the distillery

File:Whiskeybarrels.JPG|Inside the barrels

File:Dave Lewis - Panorama 1003B - Jack Daniel's Green2.jpg – "Jack Daniel's Green"]]

• Frank Sinatra was a Jack Daniel's drinker. He was buried with a bottle of Jack Daniel's in 1998.{{cite news|url=https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2020/10/09/2106413/0/en/How-Frank-Sinatra-Really-Met-Jack-Daniel-s.html|title=How Frank Sinatra Really Met Jack Daniel's|date=October 9, 2020|work=Globe Newswire}}
• Lemmy Kilmister of Motörhead cited Jack Daniel's as his drink of choice. Often in media appearances he would be seen drinking Jack Daniel's and Coke, and he reportedly drank a whole bottle every day for 38 years.{{cite news |first = Graham |last=Hartmann |url=http://loudwire.com/motorhead-lemmy-kilmister-health-smoking-drinking-death/ |title=Motörhead's Lemmy Kilmister Talks Health, Smoking, Drinking and Death |magazine=Loudwire |date=October 15, 2013 |access-date=March 20, 2014}}
• Eric Church, Country singer/songwriter, wrote a song called Jack Daniels on his Chief album. Later he partnered with Jack Daniels and created Eric Church Single Barrel Select.{{Cite web|url=https://www.jackdaniels.com/en-us/whiskey/limited/eric-church-single-barrel-select|title=Eric Church Single Barrel Select|date=July 10, 2020|website=Jack Daniel's}}

• The cover of Mel McDaniel’s 1980 album I'm Countryfied featured a design based on the label of Jack Daniel's whiskey.
• The cover of Patrick Wensink's book Broken Piano for President featured a design based on the label of Jack Daniel's whiskey, which resulted in a cease-and-desist letter from the company.[http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/07/23/jack-daniels-book-cover_n_1696453.html Jack Daniel's Classy Book Cover Cease-And-Desist Letter For Patrick Wensink's 'Broken Piano For President'] Huffington Post July 23, 2012 However, the whiskey company said it could be done upon the book's next reprinting and it would compensate the author if he chose to comply during the current run.{{cite news|last1=O'Reilly|first1=Terry|title=The Crazy World of Trademarks|url=http://www.cbc.ca/radio/undertheinfluence/the-crazy-world-of-trademarks-1.3918789|access-date=January 7, 2017|work=Under the Influence|agency=Canadian Broadcasting Corporation|date=January 5, 2017}}
• The cover of The Dirt: Confessions of the World's Most Notorious Rock Band, an autobiography collectively written by the members of the rock band Mötley Crüe, includes a bottle design based on that of Jack Daniel's whiskey.
• The Charlie Daniels Band album Way Down Yonder depicts bottles of Jack Daniel's on its cover art.

{{Portal|Liquor|Drink}}

• Outline of whisky
• List of historic whisky distilleries
• Major competitor brands
• George Dickel, the other major brand of Tennessee whiskey, produced by Diageo PLC (introduced in 1964)
• Jim Beam, the largest-selling Kentucky bourbon whiskey, produced by Suntory Global Spirits (introduced in 1933)
• Evan Williams, another high-selling brand of Kentucky bourbon whiskey, produced by Heaven Hill (introduced in 1957)
• Sister brands produced by Brown–Forman
• Old Forester, a historically important brand of Kentucky bourbon whiskey (introduced in 1870)
• Woodford Reserve, a newer premium brand of Kentucky bourbon whiskey (introduced in 1996)

{{Reflist}}

• {{cite book |last1=McCarley |first1=Daniel J |year=2011 |title=Jack Daniel's: The Unofficial Bottle Collector's Guide - Volume 1 |url=https://jackdanielsbottles.com/ |isbn=978-0-578-09069-6}}

{{Commons category|Jack Daniel's whiskey}}

• {{Official website|www.jackdaniels.com}}

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Category:Brown–Forman brands

Category:Tennessee whiskey

Category:Distilleries in Tennessee

Category:American brands

Category:Tennessee cuisine

Category:Tourist attractions in Tennessee

Category:Tourist attractions in Moore County, Tennessee

Category:National Register of Historic Places in Moore County, Tennessee

Category:1866 establishments in Tennessee

Category:Industrial buildings and structures on the National Register of Historic Places in Tennessee

Category:Moore County, Tennessee

Category:Lynchburg, Tennessee