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Born in 1846 (rather than his Tennessee tombstone date of 1850), Jasper Newton 'Jack' Daniel was the tenth of thirteen children. At the age of two, Jacks mother died and a few years later his father remarried.
Neglected amongst 12 other siblings Jack ran away to a neighbours farm and from there a local Lutherean preacher, one Reverend Dan Call took the orphan in. Reverend Dan owned a general store at a place called Louse Creek, so Jack had found a home and a trade.
Jack Daniel began making whiskey at the age of nine. Dan Call 'owned' an African American slave called 'Nearest Green' who taught Jack the secrets of making whiskey the Tennessee way.
Lynchburg lay on the edge of the same limestone shelf that lies below Kentucky bourbon country, so the soil was irrigated by crisp mineral free water making excellent conditions for growing barley, corn and rye.
In the 1850's the temperance movement had begun and the congregation frowned upon a minister who made whiskey. At thirteen years old Jack Daniel became the owner of his first distillery, together with the Reverends farm and general store.
At this time the Civil War had broken out so the astute businessman who was too young to take up arms sold his liquor to the troops. On both sides.
At the age of nineteen Jack stumbled across a cave on the banks of Mulberry Creek, the water was crisp and chilly at 56 degrees fahrenheit. Ideal for a still, Daniel bought Cave Spring Hollow and began building a new operation.
After the end of the war, the Federal Government passed laws to tax distilleries, and while many chose to continue to manufacture without a license, Jack Daniel registered. Today the distillery is the oldest licensed liquor operation in the US. He called his still Number One.
Many distilleries gradually opted for cheaper quicker methods to produce plain whiskey, but Jack Daniel continued to run his still in the old-fashioned way, distilling in the manner that gives Tennessee whiskey its unique taste.
The grain comprising mainly corn with some rye, was ground and cooked, then boiled in fresh water from the cave spring to form a mash. The distiller then added barley malt and then yeast. This fermented into a 9% proof beer, which was transferred to a still over a fire. The alcohol evaporated before the water, its steam rising up through a series of copper tubes.
The liquor that drips out at the other side is drawn off at 140% proof and filtered through a series of ten foot cisterns filled with sugar maple charcoal. The charcoal is made by cutting the sugar maples into two by two planks and burned to just the right stage. The cooled embers are then finely ground and added to the filtration system. The charcoal lends a sweetness and smokiness and all impurities cling to the charcoal during filtration.
The whiskey is then aged for at least four years in new oak barrels and is finally cut with water to the desired strength before being bottled and sold.
A portion of the fermented mash (sour mash) left over at the end of the day is added to the new mash the following day, and is the reason Jack Daniel's labels read 'Sour Mash Whiskey'.
Jack Daniel's distinctive 'square bottle' replaced the jug around 1895 and has remained unchanged to this day.
In 1904 the World's Fair was held in St Louis and Jack Daniel's 'Old No. 7' won the Gold medal for the world's finest whiskey.
In 1905 Jack Daniel had an altercation with his safe, resulting in a broken foot. Infection soon set in and led to the amputation of his left foot from gangrene. The loss of his foot failed to halt the slow spread of infection and he died in 1911.
The Four Jacks:
Old No. 7 Black Label: All Jack Daniel's whiskeys are made from the same ingredients, barley, corn, yeast and springwater, all distilled and charcoal mellowed. The Black label is aged four years in white oak barrels and is bottled at 86% proof.
Old No. 7 Green Label: The Green label is aged three years in white oak barrels and is bottled at 80% proof. It is not generally advertised, and is sold mainly in the Southern States and around the military bases.
Gentleman Jack Rare Tennessee Whiskey: This offering is charcoal mellowed twice, giving it a smoother, sweeter taste, is aged four years and bottled at 80% proof. Legend has it that this was produced by Jack Daniel for the ladies and was first marketed by the company in 1988, the first new product in over a century.
Jack Daniel's Single Barrel: The only single barrel Tennessee whiskey on the market, this whiskey is pulled straight from the barrel, cut with water to 90% proof and bottled after six years. Different barrels offer slight variences in taste so each barrel number is printed on the label. A barrel will fill around 240 bottles so this is a unique serving in every way and is the most expensive of the stable.
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