[ignatz]

Mind, all of this was explained to me on a distillery tour at Jack Daniels' around 1983-4.

Jack Daniel was a very short, feisty (others might use another word) character. One time around 1911, in another argument with his safe that he perennially had problems opening, he kicked it in anger and broke his toe. A deep infection set in, resulting in gradual amputation of his leg until there was no more to amputate. As he had no children, he left the distillery to his favorite nephew, Lem Motlow.

A few years later, Prohibition set in. The family survived by getting into race horses (which they still do). When Prohibition ended, there were stringent rules placed on production of liquor, especially quality and oversight. Since cash was tight, the distillery applied for an exemption to turn out a whiskey aged only one year. The liquor board agreed, but said it couldn't be called Jack Daniels; they bottled it as Lem Motlow's. At least as of 1984, they turned out a limited bottling of this every year in commemoration; it couldn't be sold except in the counties surrounding Moore county (which, as noted, is dry. They never went wet because, at the time Prohibition ended, each county had to vote itself wet, but the passing vote in Tennessee was set at, IIRC, something like 1500 people, not a percentage of the residents--and there weren't enough people in Moore county to vote it wet. I suspect they stay dry now because it's a marketing gem.) I bought a bottle on the way out of the county and my then-girlfriend and I did a tasting comparison. It was truly a horrible idea. I've no idea if they still do this.

As noted, originally Green Label was 80 proof, Black 90; after the general lowering of proof to 80, it's a matter of the tasters as to which production is marketed as Black and which is relegated to Green.

At one time in the '80s, in a promotional JD gave a square inch of land to people so they could say they were "Tennessee Squires"; due, I presume, to my visit, they gave me one, with elaborate paperwork and signage. Mildly cool, I thought. Then a year later, I got a bill from the Moore county assessor for my property taxes--around $2/year, IIRC. I never paid it, of course--and got increasingly testy letters about it, until I finally wrote to JD and complained. I got a letter back that said, "Your tax problem in Tennessee has been taken care of. For this year, at least." I still have all the documentation and letters; I should scan and post them sometime.