You don’t know, Jack! – Part 1

A fun compendium of facts about Jack Daniel and his famous Tennessee whiskey

Until last March, I counted myself among what surely are millions of drinkers who think they know Jack Daniel’s … the legend behind the name … the world’s second-largest American whiskey brand … and the common-man’s whiskey that’s finally becoming the best version of itself in higher-proof, longer-aged releases.

Even non-drinkers recognize its flagship Old No. 7 brand, but few know the smallish role that Daniel—a smallish man himself—played in the company’s global growth. Its penetration into more than 170 countries happened long after his untimely and unsettling death, and often with the help of people never even employed by Jack Daniel’s. It’s a terrific story about a mega-distillery in a mini-town in a dry Tennessee county.

If you’ve never visited Jack Daniel Distillery, do it. If you’re a fan of distilleries in general, you’ll not regret it. Perhaps some of what I learned on my recent visit there will entice you to make the trip.