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Jack Daniel's
is a brand of Tennessee whiskey which is among the world's best-selling
liquors and is known for its square bottles and black label. Jack
Daniel's is consumed in shots, neat, on the rocks and as an ingredient
in several cocktails. It has been prominently featured in movies,
songs, and even novels, and is strongly linked to rock and roll,
country music, American biker culture, Frank Sinatra, and Slash. The
brand is produced in Lynchburg, Tennessee by Jack Daniel Distillery,
which has been owned by the Brown-Forman beverage company since 1956.
History
Early
According to the Jack Daniel's web site, founder Jasper Newton "Jack"
Daniel was born in September, 1850, although seemingly no one knows the
exact date because the birth records were destroyed in a courthouse
fire. If the 1850 date is correct, he may have become a licensed
distiller at the age of 16, as the distillery claims a founding date of
1866. Other records list his birthdate as September 5, 1846, and in his
2004 biography Blood & Whiskey: The Life and Times of Jack Daniel
author Peter Krass maintains that land and deed records show the
distillery was actually not founded until 1875. Daniel was one of
thirteen children, of Welsh and Scottish descent.
Because Jack Daniel never married, and he did not have any children, he
took his favorite nephew, Lem Motlow, under his wing. Lem had a head
for numbers and was soon doing all of the distillery's bookkeeping. In
1907, due to failing health, Jack Daniel gave the distillery to his
nephew.
Jack died in 1911 from blood poisoning that resulted from an infection.
The infection allegedly 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).
When the company was later incorporated, it was incorporated as "Jack
Daniel Distillery, Lem Motlow, Prop., Inc." This has allowed the
company to continue to include Lem Motlow, who died in 1947, in their
marketing, as mentioning him in the advertising is technically just
citing the full corporate name. Likewise, the advertisements continue
to say that Lynchburg has only 361 people, while the official (2000
census) population is 5,740. This is allowable because the entire label
was trademarked in the early 1960s when this figure was the actual
population cited by the Census Bureau; changing the label would require
applying for a new trademark or forfeiting trademark protection. It
should be noted, however, that the census population includes all of
Moore County, as the county and city governments are consolidated.
Interestingly enough, Moore County, where the Jack Daniel's distillery
is located, is one of the state's many dry counties. Therefore, while
it is legal to distill the product within the county, it is illegal to
purchase it there. However, a state law has provided one exception: a
distillery may sell one commemorative product, regardless of county
statutes. Jack Daniel's now sells Gentleman Jack and Jack Daniel's
Single Barrel at the distillery's White Rabbit Bottle Shop.
Tennessee ("sour mash") whiskey has been filtered through sugar maple
charcoal in large wooden vats prior to aging.Tennessee whiskey, by
definition, is not Bourbon whiskey as defined by Title 27 of the Code
of Federal Regulations, Chapter 1, Part 5, Section 5.22.
According to their web site, Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey is made
using pure cave spring water from a hollow next to the distillery. This
is generally believed to be the reason the distillery location was
originally chosen and why it is still there today.
Tennessee Squire
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. 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.
21st century
In October 2004, it was announced that all generally-available Jack
Daniel's products would thenceforth be bottled at 80 U.S. proof (40%
alcohol by volume), which is the highest proof allowed in some US
jurisdictions; this also simplified the production process. (This
reduction in alcohol content was condemned by Modern Drunkard
Magazine). Previously, the famous black-label brand (the
better-quality, higher-priced product) had been 86 proof, where legal,
while the lower-end green label was 80 proof; these marked reductions
from the previous practice of bottling the black-label product at 90
proof and the green-label product at 86. Both are made from the same
ingredients; the difference is determined by professional tasters who
determine which of the batches will be graded out as worthy of being
labelled with the prestigious black label, the rest being sold under
the green label.
Additionally, Jack Daniel's was included in the passing of legislation
to change the proofing formula of all alcohols (distilled and non) from
the British method to the 1:1 United States conversion method making
all other versions and methods obsolete as of 1/1/2005.
In 2006, Jack Daniel's sponsored the team Jack Daniel's Racing in the
Australian V8 Supercar series. Also in 2006, Jack Daniel's sponsored
the number 07 car (numbered after the "Old No. 7") in NASCAR, driven by
Clint Bowyer for Richard Childress Racing.
Product name
According to the Jack Daniel's website, Daniel's reason for naming his
whiskey "Old No. 7" remains a mystery, because no one had thought to
ask him.But due to popular belife the whiskey we drink today is based
on the 7th generation whiskey that he created.
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