Jack Daniel's

In the world of whisky, or whiskey, Jack Daniel’s is as unique (and significant) as they come. You could technically call it bourbon, but the producers prefer to call it a sour mash Tennessee whiskey. It is produced in Lynchburg, Tennessee which, by a weird quirk of fate, falls within the County of Moore. A dry County. So the world’s most popular whiskey just so happens not to be available to purchase in its own hometown – with the exception of a range of commemorative products, which the distillery’s White Rabbit Bottle Shop puts on rotation for visitors.

HISTORY

Every year in September, folks in Lynchburg and elsewhere around the world gather to celebrate the birthday of Mr Jasper Newton Daniel. We think Mr Jack would be proud that people still pause to raise his name and his whiskey in his honour. We think he might be equally amused that they do this not knowing the exact day in September he was born or, for that matter, what year.

If you go to Lynchburg, you’ll find the date 1850 inscribed on his statue and gravestone and referred to on the tour as the “official” date of Jack’s birth. And that it is the “official” date. We know for a fact, it’s not the “actual” date. By 1850, we’re pretty sure Jack’s mother was dead, which would make his birth in that year somewhat problematic. It’s more likely, based on census data, that Jack was actually born two years earlier in 1848.

SO WHY THE DISCREPANCY?

Well, the 1850 date on the statue and gravestone were the work of Jack’s nephew, Lem Motlow, who laboured side by side with his uncle and eventually inherited his Distillery. Lem probably got his information from his Uncle Jack. Now Jack, because he ran away from home at an early age and both his parents had passed away by the time he was around 14 years old, might not have known the actual year of his birth. Or, because he was a lifelong bachelor and ladies man who entertained a number of female acquaintances, he might have shaved a couple of years off his age.

Whether he was uncertain of the actual year or it was just a matter of pride, Jack died before revealing the truth about this mystery. Today, it’s only one of the many unknowns that surround Mr Jack and his Distillery.

“Here’s to Mr Jack, more than 165 years old and still out in the bars every night.”

VISIT JACK DANIEL’S

A must visit when in Lynchburg Tennessee. Learn all about the original square bottle, the first master distiller (Nathan ‘Nearest’ Green), Jack’s mystery birthday, the legend behind the Old No 7 and other members of the family including Gentleman Jack, Single Barrel and Jack Rye.