Jasper Newton “Jack” Daniel began work in a whiskey distillery owned by a family friend at the age of 13. Seven years later, in 1866, he bought the operation and registered it as the Jack Daniel Distillery. Located in Lynchburg, Tennessee, it is the oldest licensed distillery in the US and is a National Historical Site. It was originally located in Lincoln County where liquor can be purchased. Ironically, redrawing of county lines placed it in Moore County where purchase of liquor is prohibited.
The distillery was built at the site of a cave spring where virtually iron-free water flows year round at 800 gallons a minute at a constant temperature of 56°F. This prized spring, where a statue of Jack Daniel now stands — “Jack on the Rocks” — is the starting point of his whiskeys. Mixed with ground corn, rye, and malted barley, plus a quantity of the previous day’s fermented mash, the resulting mash is fermented until the alcohol by-product kills the yeast, then is distilled in huge column stills. The product would be bourbon if aging began at this point but Jack Daniel Distillery takes an intervening step.
Sugar maple trees are cut from high ground in the fall of each year. Logs are aged for a year then sawn into slats and stacked into ricks. Ricks are primed with 140 proof distillate, then burned in open air to produce pure charcoal which is ground and packed into ten-foot-tall mellowing vats. Known as the Lincoln County Process, where it originated, the distillate is slowly filtered through these charcoal-filled vats before it is aged giving it the mellow characteristic of Tennessee Whiskey.
Aging takes place in new charred white oak barrels made at the distillery. Coopers fit staves together by hand and char the inside of each barrel to caramelize the wood’s natural sugars. The maturing whiskey draws its rich amber color and distinctive flavor from the toasted oak. Temperature changes of passing seasons cause the whiskey to expand and contract in the barrels and penetrate deeper into the wood each year. Hot summers age whiskey faster than cool ones. Maturity is achieved at some point between four and six years as determined by the Jack Daniel master distiller.
Though not specifically defined in Federal regulations, Tennessee Whiskey was recognized as a separate American style by the US Government in 1941 in a letter from the US Taxing Authority to the Jack Daniel Distillery. Though permitted to label its products as bourbon, Jack Daniel prefers the uniqueness of its own classification and designates them as Tennessee Whiskey.
Jack Daniel’s Old No. 7 is the familiar square bottle with the black label. No one knows why Jack Daniel called it Old No. 7, but it’s speculated it was his 7th recipe or 7th trial batch that achieved the taste he sought. The taste is mellower than typical bourbon yet with a definite bite. When a batch of whiskey has matured, the master distiller determines which barrels are of the quality to be marketed with the black label. Those not meeting this standard are sold as green-label Old No. 7.
Gentleman Jack is filtered through sugar maple charcoal a second time after it has matured. The bite is toned down producing a Tennessee Whiskey flavor mellowed and smoothed even more.
Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Honey has hints of honey in the mix to give this version a smooth and definite one-of-a-kind taste.
Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel Select is matured in the highest reaches of the barrelhouse where dramatic temperature changes cause the color and taste to deepen even further. Single Barrel is a hearty, full-bodied whiskey with a wonderfully satisfying taste rivaling that of the finest bourbons.
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“Just one more drink.” — Jack Daniel’s dying words