Jack
Daniel's Tennessee Whiskey
Jack
Daniel’s Visitor Center
Lynchburg, Tennessee, USA 37352
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Comments about Jack Daniel's
Editor's
Note: Though technically not a Bourbon (it's
a Tennessee Sour Mash), we've included Jack Daniels in our
Bourbon collection because of its legendary popularity in
the United States.
The Home of Jack: The Jack Daniel Distillery –
the oldest registered distillery in the U.S. – is
where it all happens. It’s where Mr. Jack first crafted
the recipe for Old No. 7. It’s where the pure, iron-free
cave spring water flows. And it’s where every drop
of Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Sippin’ Whiskey is
still made today.
Jack Daniel The Man: Yes, Jack Daniel was
a real person, and a pretty fascinating one at that. From
birth to death, legend surrounded him. And in between he
created Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey. That alone
makes him legendary in our eyes.
Mr. Jack's Birthday: No one really knows
exactly when Jack Daniel was born. A town fire destroyed
the courthouse records, and conflicting dates on Mr. Jack's
and his mother's headstones have left his date of birth
in question. It’s customary to celebrate Mr. Jack’s
birthday in September – so he gets a whole month.
But for a man as unique as Jack Daniel, one day just wouldn’t
seem proper, anyway.
Mr. Jack's Calling: Jack Daniel left home
at an early age and was raised by a family friend named
Dan Call. Mr. Call was a Lutheran minister, but also owned
a whiskey still just outside of Lynchburg. It was here where
young Jack learned about making whiskey. In September of
1863, when Jack was only 13 years old, Call decided to devote
his life to his ministry and sold him the still.
Cave Spring Water: Jack Daniel’s
Tennessee Whiskey is made with cool, pure, iron-free cave
spring water from right here in the Hollow. This water flows
year-round at 800 gallons per minute at a constant temperature
of 56° and is virtually iron free. It’s the reason
why the Distillery was located in this spot originally –
and why it’s remained there ever since. Just outside
the cave you’ll find a statue of Jack Daniel. The
man himself, standing guard over this prized spring.
Making History: The Jack Daniel Distillery
was licensed in 1866, making it the oldest registered distillery
in the United States and a National Historic Site.
Lucky No. 7: As you may have already noticed,
there are quite a few legends surrounding the Old No. 7
brand and many stories have been passed down about its significance.
Some
say that Jack Daniel had 7 girlfriends, or that the way
he wrote his “J” looked like a 7. Some say he
chose the number 7 simply because it’s lucky. We’ll
never know for sure – Mr. Jack took that secret to
the grave. Either way, we consider ourselves lucky that
he created Jack Daniel’s the way he did.
Mixing Jack Daniel's and Music: In 1892,
Jack Daniel created the Silver Cornet Band to draw crowds
to the Lynchburg Square and his two saloons – the
White Rabbit and the Red Dog. He ordered all of the instruments
– including, of course, cornets – from the Sears
and Roebuck catalog for less than $300 and had Jack Daniel’s
Old No. 7 painted on the side of the drum.
The thirteen “musicians” who made up the band
weren’t technically musicians at all – they
were townspeople from Lynchburg. Despite their lack of experience,
the band was good – and known and loved throughout
the region. Mr. Jack’s Silver Cornet Band even played
the campaign swings of presidential candidate William Jennings
Bryan and Tennessee gubernatorial candidate Robert Love
Taylor. The band disbanded when World War I began and the
men of Lynchburg volunteered for service. Even though their
music came to an end, their story lives on.
The Safe: As the story goes, Mr. Jack
arrived at work early one morning and tried to open the
safe in his office. Thing is, he couldn’t recall the
combination. In his frustration, he gave that safe a good,
solid kick. The blow broke his toe and infection set in,
leading to the blood poisoning that would take his life
in 1911. Because he never married or had children, he deeded
the Distillery to his hard-working nephew, Lem Motlow. Some
people say Jack Daniel not only left his Tennessee Whiskey
behind, he left us all a valuable lesson as well: Don’t
go to work early.
Jack Daniel's Grave: Though still with
us in spirit, Jack Daniel died in 1911. He’s buried
in the Lynchburg town cemetery, and you can find his grave
by looking for the two chairs next to his headstone. It’s
said that the chairs were placed there to comfort the many
local ladies who mourned his passing.
Crafting Jack Daniel's: We do things a
little differently around here – and that’s
what gives Jack Daniel’s its distinctive character.
We Charcoal Mellow our whiskey drop by drop, then let it
age in our own handcrafted barrels. And we don’t follow
a calendar. Our Tennessee Sippin’ Whiskey is ready
only when our tasters say it is. We use our senses, just
like Jack Daniel himself did. In fact, more than a century
later, our Tennessee Whiskey is still judged the same way.
By the way it looks. By the way it smells. And of course,
by the way it tastes.
Jack Daniel believed "Every day we make it, we'll make
it the best we can." For him, that meant mellowing
his whiskey drop by drop through ten feet of sugar maple
charcoal.
Seven generations later, we still mellow our whiskey just
as Mr. Jack did. The reason is simple: it imparts a distinctive
smoothness folks have come to expect from Jack Daniel's.
Charcoal Mellowing makes Jack Daniel's what it is –
a Tennessee Whiskey and not a Bourbon. It refines our whiskey's
rich flavor even before we fully mature it in barrels of
our own making. Yes, it's a painstaking process that demands
extra attention and makes our whiskey a bit more costly
to craft. But Mr. Jack wouldn't have it any other way. Neither
would we.
A Mature Taste: We all know age isn’t
the same thing as maturity. It’s true of people and
it’s true of whiskey. Experience determines maturity.
It’s what a whiskey experiences while inside the barrel
and not simply how long it’s been there that gives
it the rich color, character, and taste that we call mature.
Mellowing our whiskey through ten feet of sugar maple charcoal,
crafting our own barrels, and placement in the barrelhouse—each
contributes to how our whiskey matures. Age by itself isn’t
a reliable measure of a whiskey’s quality and character.
Which is why our tasters tell us when the whiskey is ready.
We judge its quality the same way you do – with a
sip.
Not Just Any Barrel. Our Barrel: An important part
of making our quality whiskey is making a quality barrel.
That’s why we devote the same care and attention to
barrel making as we do to making Jack Daniel’s itself.
We start by selecting the very best white oak for the barrel
staves. Our craftsmen fit the staves together by hand, then
carefully toast and char the inside of the barrel to caramelize
the wood’s natural sugars. It’s from the toasted
oak that the whiskey draws its rich amber color, distinctive
flavor, and finish. We entrust our whiskey only to new white
oak. The barrel’s quality is so important to us that
we’re the only distiller who goes to the extra effort
and expense to craft our own.
A Square Bottle for a Square Shoote: r Jack
Daniel first bottled his whiskey in earthenware jugs. By
the late 1870s, however, glass bottles were all the rage,
so Mr. Jack went with a standard, round, glass-mold bottle
embossed with the Distillery name. But this didn't satisfy
him for long. His whiskey was different and he figured the
bottle he put it in should be, too. Then in 1895, he found
it when a salesman with the Alton Glass Company introduced
him to an unusual square bottle with a fluted neck. Legend
has it Mr. Jack said since he was a square shooter, he should
have a square bottle. More than 100 years later, the square
bottle remains a symbol of Jack Daniel’s unique heritage.
As for Mr. Jack, he remained quite the bottle aficionado,
and continued to introduce eye-catching commemorative bottles
in limited quantities. Today, the Distillery carries on
this tradition, issuing decorative decanter bottles from
time to time. Some of the bottles honor Mr. Jack's accomplishments,
while others capture the spirit and style of the time they
represent.
That Famous Label: Some folks might think
the label on our Old No. 7 Whiskey Bottle is kind of cluttered.
But there’s a lot packed on that label. A list of
gold medals Jack Daniel’s has won. A little history.
And some of the many stories that make Jack Daniel’s
unique.
Award Winning Whiskey: Back in 1904, Jack
Daniel decided to take his whiskey to the World’s
Fair in St. Louis. Folks wondered what this little man from
Tennessee was doing there. But they didn’t wonder
for long. He became the toast of the Fair, winning the Gold
Medal for "the world's finest whiskey." And it
didn't stop there. Throughout the years, Jack Daniel's has
brought home the prize from competitions the world over.
- 1904:
First gold medal won by Jack Daniel’s Whiskey at
the World’s Fair in St. Louis.
- 1905:
First international gold medal won by Mr. Jack in Liege,
Belgium.1913:
Lem Motlow entered Jack Daniel’s Whiskey and won
this gold medal in Ghent, Belgium.
- 1914:
Gold medal awarded during the Anglo-American Exposition
in London, England.
- 1915:
The Certificate of the Institute of Hygiene was presented
to Jack Daniel’s in London, England.
- 1954:
The Star of Excellence awarded Jack Daniel’s in
Brussels, Belgium.
- 1981:
Gold medal with palm leaves from Institut Pour Les Selections
De La Qualite, Amsterdam.
The
Gold Medal Decanter series was created to commemorate these
honors. There are seven collectible bottles, and each one
bears the medal for which it's named. Look for these special,
limited edition Gold Medal bottles at your spirits retailer.
You may
not know that we have several brands in our family. And just
as every member of your family is different, our brands are
different as well. But there’s one thing they all have
in common and that’s the spirit of Jack Daniel’s.
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Courtesy
of Jack Daniel's Distillery |
JACK
DANIEL'S
TENNESSEE WHISKEY |
JACK
DANIEL'S GENTLEMAN JACK
TENNESSEE WHISKEY |
JACK
DANIEL'S SINGLE BARREL
TENNESSEE WHISKEY |
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| We
still mellow our whiskey just as Mr. Jack did. The reason is simple:
it imparts a distinctive smoothness folks have come to expect
from Jack Daniel's. Charcoal Mellowing makes Jack Daniel's what
it is – a Tennessee Whiskey and not a Bourbon. It refines
our whiskey's rich flavor even before we fully mature it in barrels
of our own making. Yes, it's a painstaking process that demands
extra attention and makes our whiskey a bit more costly to craft.
But Mr. Jack wouldn't have it any other way. Neither would we.
| Just
like Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey and Jack Daniel’s
Single Barrel, Gentleman Jack is Charcoal Mellowed before going
into the barrel.
Gentleman Jack, however, receives an additional “blessing”
when it is Charcoal Mellowed again after reaching maturity –
making it the only whiskey in the world to be Charcoal Mellowed
twice, giving it ultimate smoothness. Gentleman Jack is full-bodied
with fruit and spices, and its finish is silky, warm, and pleasant.
When you drink Gentleman Jack, you’ll always enjoy rich,
rewarding taste.
| Jack
Daniel’s Single Barrel Whiskey is handcrafted from a single
barrel individually chosen by our Master Distiller, which pretty
well explains how it got its name.
Single Barrel is aged in select areas of the warehouse, which
causes its color and taste to deepen further. Robust and bold-flavored,
this whiskey has notes of toasted oak, vanilla, and caramel. One
barrel, one unique taste. |
Jack
Daniel's Whiskey Distillery

The Jack Daniel's Visitor
Center |
Distillery
Tour Information Lynchburg is the seat of Moore County,
the smallest county in Tennessee. Even though it’s home
to the Distillery, it’s a dry county and has been ever
since Prohibition. And while the Distillery may be the main
attraction here, you don't want to miss other local favorites
like lunch at Miss Mary Bobo’s Boarding House and a
trip to the Lynchburg Hardware And General Store. If you want
to explore all the sights in Lynchburg, take your time. There’s
plenty to see.
Whenever you're in the vicinity of Lynchburg, just over an
hour's drive from Nashville, drop by for a firsthand look
at our Distillery. One of our guides will accompany you on
a tour and tell you the complete story of our whiskey. And
you’ll probably hear an interesting story or two about
Mr. Jack as well.
Nearly a quarter of a million people make their way to Lynchburg,
Tennessee every year and for many, it's a pilgrimage to see
the Distillery where Jack Daniel's Whiskey has been made for
more than a century and a half.
The Distillery is about 75 miles southeast of Nashville, Tennessee.
Master
Distiller Jimmy Bedford You may not know Jimmy Bedford
but, chances are, you’re familiar with his work. Jimmy
is only the sixth Master Distiller at the Jack Daniel Distillery.
Like the others before him, he was born and raised near Lynchburg.
He oversees the entire whiskey-making process of milling,
yeasting, fermentation, distillation, and maturation.
Hours
of Operation Tour hours are: 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
We're open every day except Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Christmas,
New Year's Eve, and New Year's Day.
Tours last about an hour and fifteen minutes and start every
fifteen minutes or so. Visitors are asked not to take backpacks,
camera bags, tote bags, shopping bags or other large bags
on the tour.
Due to
Tennessee law, the White Rabbit Bottle Shop is closed on Sundays.
It is also closed on the days the Distillery is closed to
visitors, as well as on certain holidays like the Fourth of
July and Labor Day. However, we are allowed to do business
on Election Day. So plan your visit accordingly should you
desire to purchase Jack Daniel's commemorative decanters from
the White Rabbit Bottle Shop.
Miss
Mary Bobo's It began as a traveler’s hotel
in 1867, where Jack Daniel took many a noonday meal. Miss
Mary Bobo ran her boarding house until her death in 1983,
one month shy of her 102nd birthday. Miss Mary Bobo’s
Boarding House Restaurant still stands today, welcoming
visitors for home-cooked midday meals.
Aside
from being known far and wide for her hospitality, Miss
Mary is also the oldest woman ever to appear on the pages
of Playboy Magazine. In an ad for Jack Daniel’s, of
course.
Today the proprietress at Miss Mary’s is Jack Daniel’s
great-grandniece, Lynne Tolley. And not only is she the
proprietress of the Boarding House, she's also an official
taster at her Uncle Jack's distillery. Monday through Saturday,
she prepares the noontime meals at Miss Mary's. As Lynne
always says, “As Jack Daniel's great-grandniece, I
guess you could say it's in my blood to carry on the family
tradition.”
Directions from Nashville From
Nashville, take Interstate 24 East toward Chattanooga to
Exit 81A (Murfreesboro/Shelbyville exit). Turn right on
Highway 231 and drive into Shelbyville. Once in Shelbyville,
look for a Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurant on your left.
Turn left at the second traffic light past the KFC. This
will put you on Highway 82. Follow Highway 82 approximately
15 miles until it dead-ends into Highway 55. Turn right
and go 1.5 miles into Lynchburg.
Directions
from Chattanooga From Chattanooga, take Interstate
24 West toward Nashville to Exit 111 (Manchester exit).
Turn left on Highway 55 through Manchester and Tullahoma,
then into Lynchburg.
Directions from Huntsville, AL From Huntsville,
AL, follow Highway 231 North to Fayetteville, pick up Route
64, and then take Highway 50 to Lynchburg. When you get
here, the Distillery is easy to spot. Drive through Lynchburg
and the entrance into our Visitor Center parking area is
two blocks past our only stoplight, right off Highway 55
next to the Mulberry Creek Bridge.
Contact
Us / Question & More Info
Steve May
Jack Daniel’s Visitor Center
Lynchburg, Tennessee, USA 37352
BBQ Hill If there was one thing that Jack
Daniel was known for almost as much as making Tennessee
Whiskey, it was entertaining. And no doubt about it, Mr.
Jack would have been proud to host a few gatherings at the
Jack Daniel's Barbecue Pavilion.
Opened
in the spring of 2004, Barbecue Hill hosts private events
as well as weekly luncheons known as Noon Time on Barbecue
Hill. The open-air pavilion offers a spectacular view of
the Jack Daniel's Hollow and the town of Lynchburg, Tennessee.
And it's tailor-made for good southern cooking and old-fashioned
fun.
Noon
Time on Barbecue Hill is held each Friday and Saturday from
June through October. The menu includes sumptuous barbecue
chicken and tangy pulled pork, creamy coleslaw, homemade
potato salad, bubbling baked beans, hot homemade cornbread,
tipsy baked apples, Jack Daniel's special chocolate-pecan
pie, and home-brewed tea, coffee and lemonade. You’ll
enjoy listening to live music performed by local artists
as well as playing a game known as bung toss (each guest
receives a branded bung!). One thing’s for sure: You’ll
never get bored at Barbecue Hill.
Because Noon Time on Barbecue Hill is open to all ages,
no alcohol is served. The cost for lunch is $25 for adults
and $10 for children ages 4-10; children 3 and under eat
for free. Lunch is served from 11:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m. (CST).
For more information or to make a reservation, call (931)
759-6993 by noon on Thursday or send an email to the Visitor
Center.
The Jack Daniel's Barbecue Pavilion can be reserved by companies
or organizations wishing to host private, traditional Jack
Daniel's Barbecues for 50 or more people. Please call (615)
673-1191 or email Angela
Sandoval for more information.
Courtesy
of Jack Daniel's Distillery
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