Jack Daniel is one of the top-selling brands of bourbon whiskey made in the state of the U.S in the city of Tennessee. It has created a premium brand among people all over the world. Though everyone enjoys the aura and taste of bourbon whiskey, very few know the history behind the popularity of Jack Daniel. Jack Daniel has a unique, age-old traditional process of creating a legend among the whiskey, which helped maintain its image for a very long time. When Was Jack Daniels Founded?
It was the year 1866 when the distillery of Jack Daniel started. Since then, every single Jack Daniel comes from the particular factory in Lynchburg, Tennessee. Till now, Jack Daniel only has nine master distillers, starting from Nearest Green. Jeff Arnett was the prominent master distiller since 2008, but after 12 years as the leading distiller, Jeff too stepped down from the post in 2020. Though Jack Daniel was the second master Distiller, the brand is famous in his name. It all started in 1850 when Jack left his home and came to the Reverend’s farms because his relationship with his mother was not good. It was there he started learning the work with Call and Nearest.
Nearest Green was the slave of Reverend Call when the country was fighting the civil war and the actual man behind the unique chemical profile introduced to Jack Daniel. It was because of Nearest Green, along with the Reverend Dan Call, who taught Jack Daniel to make whiskey of acceptable quality. As the civil war ended, Nearest became a free man. By seeing the passion in the eyes of Jack, Reverend Call sold his entire business to him, and Jack hired the free man Green and made the first distiller of the well-known brand of Jack Daniel.
Process of the Sensational Old No.7
Jack Daniel himself made Jack Daniel Old No.7 in the market around 1864-1910. The Old No.7 gained popularity among the people. But, it was 1866 when Jack Daniel’s distillery became the first registered distillery in the U.S. It was the process and the quality that made the whiskey stand out of the queue. Makers made old no.7 with a unique approach, called Extra Blessing, which Jack introduced, and the distillery has been using the same process ever since. After the distillation, the chambers receive the freshly distilled whiskey, where the whiskey starts its journey drop by drop, through fine unique charcoal, with the help of natural gravity. It takes around three to five days to complete the drop journey, and the whiskey has completed its half journey. The processed whiskey gets transferred to specially made barrels and stored for days, months, and even years to reach the specific fineness.
Gold Medal of 1904
In 1904, World’s Fair in St. Louis, Missouri, was introduced to uplift and present the latest innovation in science and culture to the whole world. With his bold confidence on his charcoal mellowed whiskey packed in square bottles, Jack Daniel came to the fair. There were around 24 innovations, but Jacks’ Whiskey stood first and won the World’s Best Whiskey gold medal. And, after that fair, the demand shoots up among the people.
Jack Daniel’s Future after Jack Daniel
Jack Daniel died on 9th October 1911. As he had no wife or children, there was no heir for the company, which Jack established. Jack left all his fortune to his nephew Lem Motlow. Then came the great depression, and Lem and his brother Jess faced many challenges to keep the fortune firm. It was the year 1919 when many rules and regulations were getting changed; the 18th amendment was ratified and became the law of the land, due to which Lem and Jess couldn’t sell the whiskey legally and started storing it in their warehouses.
Clouds Cleared For Jack Daniels
1933 was when probation of selling alcohol started again, and again clouds cleared for Jack Daniels. As Jess took some time to begin producing the whiskey again, it was challenging to have the whiskey due to a shortage of ingredients. Lem and Jess, in 1941, made a statue in honor of Jack Daniel. The whiskey was already facing a need, as the production was facing many problems. Due to which the demand for whiskey shot up among the people, and the craze of Jack Daniel grew more and more. This event happened in 1941-42 when Jack Daniel Old No. 7 became a luxury.
World War Strike the Daniels
Everything became difficult for Jack Daniel as World War II approached, and 1944-45, when World War II was at its peak, Jack Daniel stopped its production entirely and started to help their country with the supplies.
History of Frank Sinatra and Jack Daniel
Through many ups and downs, the year 1947 came that wholly changed the brand image of Jack Daniel Tennessee Whiskey. Frank Sinatra took an entry in the story of Jack Daniel; in the bar was suggested a Jack Daniel drink by Jackie Gleason. And from that day, wherever Frank was present, he had Jack Daniel Whiskey around him. Frank loved Jack Daniel so much that he took the bottle of whiskey to the grave with him. To pay tribute for an unconditional love toward the drink, Jack Daniel released a special drink in the name of Jack Daniel Sinatra edition.
It was Jimmy Bedford who Brought Gentlemen
The year 1988 came, when Jimmy Bedford became the seventh master distiller of Jack Daniel. He introduced a sensation and named it Gentleman Jack. A new journey started and opened doors for the company. It was the year when he hit the market with double mellowed Gentleman Jack and made people more inclined to Jack Daniel.
Jeff Arnett with New Tastes
Jeff Arnett became the eighth distiller of Jack Daniel in 2008. For many years, he worked on a new taste to introduce it in the market, which should stand up to the image of Jack Daniel. In 2011, Jack Daniel introduced the first flavored honey whiskey, taking the drinker to the next level. The growing demand for whiskey needed to be fulfilled, for that Jeff opened a new industry for the making of barrels in Alabama, where each barrel is handmade. And after that, Jeff made the debut of the new whiskey to the Jack Daniel’s family, single barrel rye and Jack Daniel Tennessee Fire. In 2020, Jack Daniel announced that Jeff is officially stepping down from the post of master distiller and giving the position in the hands of Chris Fletcher, who will make a new history of Jack Daniel.
Conclusion
Jack Daniel had a comprehensive history, starting from 1866. Facing many issues and even World War II, Jack Daniel repeatedly replied to set back from a remarkable comeback. Chris Fletcher took the responsibility from Jeff Arnett and maintained the overall quality and innovation at the Jack Daniel. Till now, Jack Daniel was under the hands of nine master distillers, who have managed to preserve the reputation of Jack Daniel. It is not only a whiskey brand but a lifestyle for many people.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Who was the first master distiller of Jack Daniel?
After the end of the world war, Jack hired Green and made him the first master distiller.
- When did Jack Daniel complete its 150th Anniversary?
It was the year 2016 when Jack Daniel completed their successful 150 years.
- How many master distillers do Jack Daniel have to date?
To date, Jack Daniel has nine distillers, and the recent one is Chris Fletcher, who took the role in 2020.
- Who taught the art of whiskey making to Jack?
It was Reverend Call, along with his slave Nearest Green who taught the formula to Jack.
