Winter Jack Tennessee Cider
If you’re fond of a hot toddy or apple cider, especially during the winter months, then Jack Daniel’s Winter Cider could be your new BFF. With a price point in the $20 zone, Winter Jack is based on an old Jack Daniel’s family recipe even though he was never married or had kids . Let’s move away from that somber moment.
This Christmasy feeling whiskey will leave you feeling warm and fuzzy inside. It’s essentially just spiked apple cider liqueur that’s been blended with old reliable: Jack Daniel’s No. 7 . It’s labeled as having wintry “holiday spices” also known as “Winter Pie Spices”, according to Vitamix which usually includes cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, ginger, and clove. If you’re not a pumpkin pie spice fan, then this isn’t for you. Intoxicology says that this is a booze you’ll either love or hate, but that, more than anything, it’s like an adult version of apple cider.
Since Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Apple and Tennessee Fire are both overly sweet and reminiscent of cough syrup, then this could possibly follow suit. So if Winter Jack has a pretty good rating when it comes to taste and price, what’s it doing so low on the list? It’s a seasonal release , so you can really only enjoy it for a few months during the year. Bummer.
Jack Daniel’s Distillery Is The Oldest In America Or Is It
According to the company’s media site, Jack Daniel’s was registered in 1866 and boasts the distinction of being the first distillery to be registered in the U.S. and is officially designated with the National Register of Historic Places.
But is it actually America’s oldest distillery? A 2011 report in the Wall Street Journal noted there’s no actual way to prove it, and pointed to some adjustments that Jack Daniel’s was making to its iconic label to address some issues related to the company’s age. As Journal reporter Barry Newman explained, a Jack Daniel’s historian revealed that the only proof of that 1866 date is “one old photograph showing ‘Est. 1866’ scrawled in runny paint” on the wall of Jack Daniel’s office, which had since been “painted over.”
The rejigged label, noted Newman, maintained the distillery’s claim of being established in 1866 however, since there is no other evidence, such as tax records, to verify that the company’s registration is indeed America’s oldest, “est. & reg.” was removed from the label.
The Jack Daniel’s Distillery Has Its Own Fire Department
Making its own hand-crafted, single-use barrels isn’t the only thing that sets Jack Daniel’s apart from other distilleries. In fact, the Lynchburg distillery is also famed for having its own dedicated fire department. As it turns out, there’s a very practical reason for that.
As USA Today reported, a storage facility hosting thousands of barrels of alcohol is a pretty severe fire hazard, meaning great care must be taken to ensure the distillery and its contents don’t erupt in flames. “Every drop is made here,” Jack Daniel’s Master Distiller Jeff Arnett said. As Arnett explained, if the place were to burn down, the company has no second distillery, and would suddenly have no product. “That’s a lot to risk,” he admitted.
With that in mind, noted the newspaper, Jack Daniel’s has developed “a sophisticated fire prevention strategy” that includes its own private fire department, comprising a team of 34 volunteer firefighters. In addition, the company has invested more than $4 million into equipment such as custom-built fire trucks, foam cannons, and a $400,000 training facility in which firefighters can practice extinguishing both simulated and actual whiskey fires.
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Urban Spelunking: Jack Daniel’s Lynchburg Tennessee Distillery
Just as Jack Daniel’s was announcing the release of its first age-stated whiskey since the company founder and namesake walked the earth, I visited the Lynchburg, Tennessee distillery for the first time in more than 20 years.
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The intersection of these things got me wondering about the facility that produces what is surely Americas most popular whiskey and the distillery that is believed to be the first to be licensed in the U.S. .
So, while I know that the Cave Springs Hollow distillery that is home to Jack Daniels and has been since around 1866 is anything but urban , I decided to dig into the history and include it in my ongoing Urban Spelunking series.
Many whiskey producers know the value of marketing a long history, but Jack Daniels is one of the lucky ones that doesnt need to make anything up along the way.
For example, its current Master Distiller, Chris Fletcher, is the grandson of another Jack Daniels master distiller, Frank Bobo. And at least three current employees are descendants of the distiller that taught Daniels himself how to make whiskey in the 1850s when Jack was about 8 years old.
Yes, that means the new Jack Daniels 10-year Tennessee Whiskey is older than its founder was when he began distilling.
Jack Daniel’s Makes Its Own Barrels Which Are Only Used Once
The Jack Daniel’s Distillery not only makes whiskey, the company also produces its own barrels in which the whiskey is aged. As the distillery pointed out on its website, the whiskey draws its “rich amber color and much of its distinctive flavor” from the wooden barrels.
Leaving nothing to chance, the custom-made barrels are crafted from American white oak. You won’t find any glue or nails instead, the barrels are held together by the pressure created by precisely arranging 33 wood staves, of varying sizes. Because this is such a painstaking and exacting process, each barrel is made by hand, not on an assembly line. The inside of the barrels are then hit with flames until they’re “toasted and charred.” This is necessary to extract the natural sugar from the wood so it can become caramelized, as that sugar is integral in providing the whiskey’s distinctive flavor.
Jack Daniel’s does not reuse its barrels. After a single use, they’re then sold to “hot sauce makers, beer brewers, and Scotch whisky distillers” to be used in making their products. As the company website states, “we like to think we’ve done our part to help make these products just a little better.”
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An Overview On Jack Daniels Whiskey
Jack Daniels was created in a dry county where distillation is allowed, but selling spirits are prohibited. All the way from Lynchburg, this American Whiskey is very popular in the United States, with the second-largest market in Europe.
The distillation process of Jack Daniels meets all the requirements of bourbon with an additional step of mellowing the spirit using a charcoal filter. The filtering gives the spirits a unique taste. In addition to this, aging Jack Daniels in oak barrels for four to seven years gives color and unique flavor to the whiskey.
Jack Daniels Single Barrel 100 Proof
Jack Daniels single barrel 100 proof whiskey is bottled in a bond so you know that you are getting the full richness of flavors and taste with every bottle. Jack Daniels single barrel 100 proof whiskey is only available in select airports across the country and provides a smooth taste of Tennessee like you wont find anywhere else.
Jack Daniels single barrel 100 proof contains a blend of distinct and rare flavors that form the perfect base of taste for anyone that is interested in a high-quality glass of rare Tennessee whiskey. If youre looking for a unique whiskey selection that is complex, Jack Daniels single barrel 100 proof is the perfect option for you. Price: $62.00
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Jack Daniel’s Is America’s Best
Jack Daniel’s isn’t just popular among American whiskey aficionados, it’s the most popular whiskey in the country. According to Statista, Jack Daniel’s ranked as America’s best-selling whiskey in 2019, with annual sales of nearly $318 million. This easily topped the runner-up whiskey, Crown Royal, which boasted $311 million in sales. The brand is also popular on a global level in 2018, reported Forbes, Jack Daniel’s ranked sixth on its list of the world’s best-selling whiskeys.
The 2019 annual report of Brown-Forman, the corporation that owns Jack Daniel’s, demonstrated that the brand experienced a very robust year, with the various Jack Daniel’s brands selling nearly 18 million cases combined. In fact, the annual report pointed to data confirming that Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey, in 2018, was “recognized as the most valuable single expression spirit brand from the western world.”
Because Brown-Forman diversified the brand by creating new whiskeys bearing the Jack Daniel’s brand, noted the annual report, about a quarter of total sales come from these other varieties, with the classic Old No. 7 Tennessee Whiskey accounting for the other 75 percent.
Uncovering Nearest Greens Story
Jack Daniel’s company historian speaking in the old office of company founder Daniel on the grounds of the Jack Daniel’s distillery, pointing to the photograph showing Daniels and Green, 2018.
So why, despite Greens role, and Daniels seeming admiration for him, were his contributions obscured?
Early company record-keeping was notoriously spotty, making it easy for facts and histories to become obscured and forgotten.
I dont think it was ever a conscious decision to leave the Greens out of the companys story, Phil Epps, the global brand director at Brown-Forman, told The New York Times in a 2016 interview. Brown-Forman bought Jack Daniels from the Daniel family in 1965 for $20 million .
But it took time before the company made that conscious decision to include Green.
In 2016, as the brands 150th anniversary approached, the company began gathering ideas on how to finally pay its due to Green. It vowedvia distillery tours, social media posts, and official company historiesto begin acknowledging Greens role.
Fawn Weaver, a researcher and businesswoman, visited the Jack Daniels distillery in Tennessee after learning about Green and Jack Daniels plans to honor him. After going on three distillery tours, and not hearing a single mention of Green, Weaver threw herself into researching his life and work, gathering more than 10,000 documents that verifiedand expanded onGreens importance to the Jack Daniels brand.
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An Enslaved Distiller Shares His Knowledge With A Young Orphan
The old office beside the Jack Daniel’s cave on the grounds of the Jack Daniel’s distillery.
Little is known about Greens early years, beyond that he was born in Maryland in 1820. Its not clear, for instance, if he was born into bondage or was enslaved later in life. What is clear is that, by the mid-1800s, Green had gained renown as a skillful whiskey distiller in Lincoln County, Tennesseeso much so that his enslavers, the Landis & Green company, often rented Green out to area farms and plantations eager to partake of his whiskey-making skills. It was in this capacity that Green met young Jasper Jack Daniel and forged what would become an iconic partnership.
Around 1850, Daniel, a 7-year-old orphan looking for work and escape from a tough family life, found his way to the property of Dan Call, a Lynchburg preacher, grocer and distiller who had been previously credited with teaching Daniel how to distill whiskey. While working as a laborer on Calls farm, Daniel took an ardent interest in Calls distillery. Eventually, after much badgering from the young Daniel, Call introduced him to Green, who he called the best whiskey maker that I know of, according to a 1967 biography, Jack Daniels Legacy. He instructed the enslaved man to teach the young boy his distilling magic.
Do They Have The Same Distilling Technique
Jack Daniels and Uncle Nearest Premium whiskey brand both use the Lincoln County Process or what other people call charcoal mellowing. The process uses the sugar maple charcoal filtering method to make Tennessee whiskey. Its time-consuming, but it brings the distinctive smoothness and mellowness people expect from these premium brands.
This distillation technique is said to have originated from enslaved people from West Africa, who used charcoal to purify beverages.
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How Did Jack Daniels Old No7 Get Its Numerical Namesake No One Actually Knows
One of the most recognisable features of the iconic Jack Daniels black label, is the Old No.7 that marks its signature whiskey. But whats the significance of lucky number seven? The truth is, nobody really knows. Jack took that decision to the grave. There are, however, a plethora of conspiracy theories to ponder. Standing at 52, Jack was something of a Casanova. While he never married, he was rumoured to have seven girlfriends at any given time. Jack also embarked on his whiskey-making career at the tender age of seven. Other theories include that Jack transported barrels via the No.7 train, that it was on his seventh recipe attempt that Jack perfected the liquor, and that he once lost a barrel of whiskey for seven years. Alternatively, it could have been that seven was simply his lucky number. What is certain is that Jack Daniels is not aged for seven years, as many think each barrel is aged for exactly as long as it needs.
Jack Daniel’s Sinatra Select
In 1947, Jackie Gleason introduced Frank Sinatra to Jack Daniel’s, which sparked a lifelong love between the singer and this Tennessee Whiskey. Released in 2012, the Sinatra Barrels are crafted with unique grooves carved into the charred wood to provide more exposure to the extra layers of toasted wood on the inner surface of the barrel. The whiskey soaks more in-depth into the wood, providing an opportunity for a bolder, smoother, finish. This whiskey pays homage to Frank Sinatra’s love of Jack Daniel’s and is bottled at 45% ABV .
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Jack Daniels Died Trying To Break Into A Safe It Was His Own Safe
Jack Daniels died in a very unfortunate wayunable to remember the combination to a safe in his office, he kicked it in frustration, breaking his toe and forming an infection that would kill him six years later. Ironically, if he had just doused his toe in his own whiskey shortly after breaking it, the infection never would have occurred.
It’s Illegal To Buy Jack Daniel’s In The County Where It’s Made
One of the enduring results of Prohibition was the establishment of so-called “dry counties” in some states, in which the purchase of alcohol is illegal. While most of America re-legalized booze after Prohibition was repealed in the 21st Amendment, some areas of the country stayed dry, and remain so today.
Therefore it’s beyond ironic that Jack Daniel’s, one of the world’s largest distillers, is located in Lynchburg, Tennessee, situated in a dry county. According to the local Moore County News, in order for a Tennessee county to be allowed to sell “intoxicating liquor,” a referendum vote must be held. Lynchburg, however, never did put that to a vote, and is still dry.
The only exception to that law is the White Rabbit Bottle Shop located within the Jack Daniel’s distillery’s visitor’s center, where those touring the facility can purchase a “commemorative” bottle as a keepsake of their visit. According to the Moore County News, tax collected on the purchase of those bottles of whiskey benefits Metropolitan Moore County, making the situation a win-win for both the county and the distillery.
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Every Bottle Of Jack Daniels Is Made In The Very Same Place
Jack Daniels sells over 10 million cases of whiskey every year all across the world so youd have thought theyd diversified their efforts geographically. Surprisingly not so, as to this day, every drop of Jack Daniels is still made in the very same town, in the same distillery Jack Daniel set up back in 1866. Lynchburg, Tennessee is the site of a limestone iron-free spring, which Daniel purchased for just $2,148. Lynchburg wasnt big and it hasnt got much bigger back when Jack Daniel was starting out, Lynchburg had a population of just 361 and today it still only has one traffic light. The most surprising thing about Lynchburg? Its been in a dry county since prohibition, meaning not a drop of alcohol can be bought or sold within its boundaries. The rules are bent on the Jack Daniels Distillery premises, of course. That would just be mean.
Career Of Jasper Daniel
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 continued to work with Call after emancipation.
In 1875, on receiving an inheritance from his father’s estate , 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 in asserting that the business was not established until 1875.
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. He began using square-shaped bottles, intended to convey a sense of fairness and integrity, in 1897.
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.
In failing health, Jack Daniel gave the distillery to Lem Motlow and another nephew in 1907. Motlow soon bought out his partner, and went on to operate the distillery for about 40 years.
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