My last whiskey post was about Old Forester, a brand made by beverage conglomerate Brown-Forman since its beginning. The topic today, Jack Daniel's, is also owned by Brown-Forman and is by far its best selling and most famous brand. According to The Spirits Business, a spirits trade publication, it's currently the second best selling whiskey worldwide, having sold 13.5 million cases in 2021 alone (bested only by Beam at 17 million). I'd be quite surprised if you'd never heard of Jack Daniel's, and it's high time we (I) learn more about it.
Jasper 'Jack' Daniel was born sometime between 1846 and 1850 in Lynchburg, Tennessee. The youngest of 10 children born to his mother, who died sometime in the first few years of his life, he was orphaned after his father later died during the Civil War. As a teen he latched onto a local preacher and moonshiner who, along with his slave master distiller, taught him about making spirits. Daniel founded his own legal distilling business in 1875 and purchased the land for his distillery in 1884. In 1897 he started using square shaped bottles. Apparently the 'Old No. 7' name comes, quite simply, from a government registration number (i.e. distillery number X in district number Y), a tidbit that's interesting to me. After the turn of the century the Jack Daniel's brand had significant ups and downs. In 1904 it won the top whiskey prize at the World's Fair in St. Louis and saw its popularity rise. But then in 1907 Daniel, due to failing health, gave the distillery to a couple of his nephews (and no children of his own). He'd die in 1911.
A bigger problem than the loss of the founder was the temperance movement. Even before the passage of the 18th Amendment, the state of Tennessee passed its own prohibition law in 1910, banning alcohol production. The new owner/operator of the distillery, Lem Motlow (one of the nephews), fought the law all the way to the state supreme court but lost. Attempts were also made to begin distilling in other states but these were plagued by quality issues. Federal Prohibition made this all a moot point from 1920-1933. Tennessee's state production prohibition didn't end until 1938, through an effort led in large part by Motlow, then a state senator. Somehow being shut down for 28 years wasn't the end. The distillery again closed from 1942 to 1946 as a result of WWII. In 1947 Motlow, who'd guided the business after the passing of its founder and through decades of closure, died himself. Less than ten years later, in 1956, the brand and distillery were acquired by Brown-Forman, who've made it the mass-market behemoth it is today.
Tradition is a big part of making whiskey and Jack Daniel's is no exception. Jack Daniel's distillery still sits on the same land, in Lynchburg, purchased in 1884, though there've been expansions and updates (it's a major tourist attraction). The name of the flagship black label continues to be 'Old. No. 7,' as it has been since the days of the founder, and all their whiskeys still use distinct square-shaped bottles. The whiskey is made according to long-held standards of Tennessee Whiskey, also dating to the 19th century (more on that in a bit). Their traditions and small town (which is bigger than they say), located in a dry county (where whiskey can't be purchased), are frequently what you see in their marketing campaigns.
Some things have changed in more recent years however. All Jack Daniel's was bottled at 90 proof (45% ABV) until 1987, when it was dropped to 86 proof. Since 2002 Old No. 7 is now bottled at 80 proof (40%), the minimum required by law. The company today also offers more options, such as a rye, Gentleman Jack (extra mellow), various single barrels, a few flavored whiskeys (apple, honey, fire), and the newest, two 'Bonded' bottles.
Tennessee Whiskey probably deserves its own post (I've unintentionally gotten away from the Whiskey Info ones), but we can look at it briefly. To be 'Tennessee Whiskey' requires more than being produced in the state of Tennessee. Like legal terms 'straight whiskey' and 'Bourbon whiskey' (or bottled-in-bond), certain specifications defined by state law need to be met to use the label on a bottle. First and foremost all Tennessee Whiskey must be straight whiskey, bottled at or above 40% ABV and have a minimum of two years in new charred oak barrels. Most Tennessee whiskeys also meet the legal definition of Bourbon (51%+ corn in the mash, etc.), but, considering the connection between Bourbon and Kentucky, Tennessee opts to do it a little differently. Above and beyond, nearly all Tennessee Whiskeys (including Jack Daniel's) have another step in their production, called the Lincoln County Process. This is a filtration through charcoal chips (usually maple) prior to bottling, which supposedly mellows the spirit, removes impurities and adds color.
The bottle I purchased and spurred this post was a store pick Jack Daniel's 'Single Barrel Select' from Total Wine. It therefore comes from a single barrel, apparently drawn from the choice locations in the aging warehouses, and is bottled at a higher proof, but otherwise is the same recipe as what you'll find in any other bottle of Jack Daniel's. In theory it should be better than the Old No. 7 and the already premium standard Single Barrel, which admittedly I haven't tried. I've never been big on Jack, and feel like I'm missing a baseline, so here I'll sample and compare a store pick to the most basic offering (a mini bottle). Let's do it.
Stats: Single Barrel Select Old No. 7 (black label)
ABV - 47% (94 proof) 40% (80 proof)
Mash - 80/12/8 (corn/rye/malted barley) same
Maturation - New charred American oak same
Age - No statement (supposedly 5y+) No statement (at least 2y)
Location - Lynchburg, Tennessee same
Price (750ml) - $50-60 $20
Tasting Notes:
Nose - booze, caramel, banana(?), SBS more refined than Old No. 7
Color - SBS is more rich/reddish, though difference is less than appears in the bottles
Taste - Oaky sweetness, banana again, muted spice, SBS flavors more balanced/apparent
Finish - Relatively short on the SBS, almost non-existent on Old No. 7
Final Thoughts:
By itself Old No. 7 is boring. There's just not a lot there (and what is there isn't all that appealing) due to low proofing and the extra filtering which, if I have to read between the lines, purposefully removes flavor in order to make the drink is more palatable. I can't question the success of Jack Daniel's, or Tennessee Whiskey more broadly, but I don't get it.
The Single Barrel Select is definitely better, at least compared to its younger cousin. It's incredibly easy to drink, has some body to it and the finish proves it's actually worth sipping from a glass by itself. But, in my mind, it struggles from some of the same issues. It's not very deep and probably too refined. I want to taste my whiskey and the point of this bottle seems to just barely get the flavors there. Still, it's certainly not bad and I can at least see how this would be a hit for some people. As for comparables I'd prefer a number of easy drinking, lower proof American whiskeys to this, like Four Roses Small Batch, Russell's Reserve 10y or Woodford Reserve Double Oaked. All should be cheaper and, imo, are more interesting.
The lesson I should take from this is I likely won't like any Tennessee Whiskey, though I'll do a bit more research before making a final determination. There's a lot of George Dickel out there and a few other Jack Daniel's bottles could be better too. As always, there's too much whiskey to try.
For tonight, cheers!
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