Jack Daniels is one of those names that can only be known for whiskey. Jack has a few different origin stories but one is that it comes from a Celtic word meaning “healthy, Strong, and full of Vital energy”. I am not so sure on the healthy part, but strong and full of energy I feel safe believing to be true of Jack. But in Jack Daniels case, I think his given name origin suits him best. Jasper is a persian name meaning “treasurer”, and Jack certainly treasured his whiskey.
We dont know alot about his childhood, but we do know that he ran away from home and took shelter with a preacher named Dan Call, who had a slave named Nathan “Nearest” green. For this particular episode we didn't get into Nearest very much, but rest assured it will be in a future episode. But we do know that nearest had a hand in teaching jack to make whiskey, and in 1866, Jack Daniels whiskey is born near Cave Spring Hollow in Tennessee. The limestone water being particularly clean, since limestone draws out the natural Iron in water.
Jack had a bit of a temper, and in 1906 he passed away after angrily kicking his safe, which he was struggling to get open. This caused him to break his toe and die of infection (A very 1906 way of dying)
During Prohibition, Jack Daniels closes up shop. They are able to return after, but close again in 1944 to help with the war efforts.
In 1947, the start of a beautiful collaboration began. Jackie Gleason introduces Frank Sinatra to Jack Daniels, who later calls it “the nectar of the gods”. Frank would endorse Jack Daniels for years, and today we have Sinatra editions, which I would recommend you check out.
In 1956, Brown Forman purchased Jack Daniels, but they don't seem to have made a lot of changes, which is the best way to be acquired.
In 1997 the first single barrel plan is set up, setting up for this bottle. And the second needed action took place in 2015, when only the second mash bill is introduced in Jack Daniels, a Rye, and releasing a single barrel rye
The Barrel Proof Single Barrel Rye is a special release, and this bottle is amazing! It is so smooth for 129.2 proof. It has the rye flavor but is so mellow it is missing the spice. We don't know the age, but we do know its at least 4 years, and whatever the age is, it is EXACTLY the age it should be. For more talk on this bottle, take a listen!
