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Jack Daniel’s – in fact, the real bourbon, but the eminent manufacturer from Lynchburg (Tennessee) insists on whiskey in its classification.
It is the most famous and best-selling American whiskey in the world.
Thanks to the unique water and technological processes, whiskey of this brand is so popular for many connoisseurs of alcohol.
how to drink jack daniels
Whiskey History Jack Daniels
1875 Having inherited property from his father Jasper Newton “Jack” Daniel, he started a legally registered distillation business with his partner Dan Call, who, by the way, introduced Daniels to the moonshine business as a teenager.
Shortly thereafter, when Dan Call went out of business for religious reasons, Daniel took over the entire business.
1880 Jack Daniels owns 15 distilleries.
1897 The first square bottles of Jack Daniel’s went on sale.
1904 Jack Daniels gained popularity after he received a gold medal for the best whiskey at the World’s Fair in St. Louis.
1907 Due to health problems, Jack Daniels handed over the distillery to two of his nephews.
Motlow soon bought another nephew’s share and stayed with the company for about 40 more years.
1910 Tennessee passed a statewide liquor ban that effectively banned the legal distribution of Jack Daniels.
Due to the Tennessee ban, the company moved its distillation operations to St. Louis, Missouri and Birmingham, Alabama. Not a single bottle from these places was sold due to quality issues.
After a while, the Alabama facility was shut down under a similar prohibition law in that state, and the St. Louis branch suffered the same fate, but this time due to a nationwide ban on the sale of alcohol in 1920.
1911 Brand founder Jack Daniels has died from blood poisoning.
An oft-told story is that the infection started on one of his toes, which Daniel injured early in the morning at work by kicking his safe in anger when he couldn’t open it (he was said to always have trouble remembering the combination).
But a contemporary biographer of Daniel argues that this story is not true.
1938 Motlow became a Tennessee state senator and lobbied for the resumption of Jack Daniels whiskey production in his native Lynchburg.
1942 – 1946: Because of World War II, the Jack Daniels distillery ceased operations.
1947 Motlow passed away, bequeathing the company to his children: Robert, Raygor, Dan, Conner and Mary.
The company was later incorporated as “Jack Daniel Distillery, Lem Motlow, Prop., Inc.”
This allowed the brand to continue to include Lem Motlow, who died in 1947, in their marketing. Likewise, Lynchburg’s 1960s population of 361 continues to be used in advertisements, although the city has grown significantly since then.
As of the 2010 census, Lynchburg has an official population of over 6000.
1956 The company was sold to the Brown-Forman Corporation.
1972 The Jack Daniels Distillery has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Sweets by Jack Daniels
Before 1987: Jack Daniel’s Black Label was 45% ABV and Green Label 40%.
2006 – 2015: The company sponsors the V8 Supercar teams Perkins Engineering and Kelly Racing.
Jack Daniels also sponsored the Richard Childress Racing 07 (symbolically for the “Old No. 7” drink) in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series from 2005 to 2009.
2019 – today: The company is increasing its presence in emerging markets, pleases old and new customers with its impeccable quality and history.
How Jack Daniels whiskey is made
The spring of the Jack Daniels distillery produces 3000 liters of pure fresh water per minute, which is then filtered through limestone.
It is important that there is no iron in the water, because even a small amount of iron gives the whiskey an unpleasant metallic taste.
But to make whiskey, pure spring water is only the beginning, to make alcohol you also need grains, the combination of different grains affects the taste and aroma of whiskey.
Monument to the founder of whiskey Jack Daniels at the entrance to the cave with a spring.
As everything happens:
80% is corn – gives the whiskey a sweet taste.
12% is barley malt – creates the same golden hue of the drink.
Rye is also needed, it has a sharp bright taste that adds a slight piquancy to the whiskey.
Corn, barley malt and rye are mixed with spring water and heated. After a few hours, the enzymes will break down the cornstarch and turn it into sugar.
Then, in 150000 liter fermenters, the sweet liquid is mixed with the residue from the previous fermentation and left for a while.
Soon, the yeast begins to absorb the sugar, releasing alcohol and carbon dioxide in the process.
Since the yeast from the previous fermentation is constantly used, the recipe is always the same. The only problem is that yeast changes over time and this can affect the taste, so that this does not happen, there are yeast samples frozen at a temperature of minus 125 degrees. Samples are hidden from prying eyes in secret places.
After 6 days, most of the sugar is converted to alcohol. Now this mass is not sweet, but sour, which is why it is called the “sour mash” of whiskey. Part of the mash will remain until the next fermentation, and the cake from the grain is sent to feed livestock.
The remaining liquid is not yet whiskey, it is called mash. To turn a weak brew into a strong whiskey, you need to separate the alcohol from the water. First, the mash is heated, not brought to a boil, then it is sent to the distillation apparatus, where it turns into a pure liquid.
The end result is 67% alcohol, it’s called green whiskey and it tastes just awful.
The green whiskey is then filtered using charcoal, but not just any charcoal will do to give the whiskey its unique taste. For this, sugar maple wood is used, maple syrup is also made from it, the tree is cut down in the fall when the sap content is minimal, then the trunks are stacked in two-meter piles and left to dry for a whole year.
To turn a tree into coal, it must be set on fire, if it is doused with gasoline, it is unlikely that whiskey can then be drunk, so it is poured over with raw whiskey, which quickly flares up. But, it is impossible for it to burn for too long, otherwise the tree will turn into ash, so after a few hours the charcoal burners fill the fire with spring water.
When the coal cools, it is collected and sent to barrels for filtering, green whiskey is poured on top and waited for it to seep through the coal, this takes about 10 days.
When all of the whiskey has passed through the charcoal, it has a mild and smoky taste. But the filtered whiskey is still clean and lacks the signature flavor, requiring brand new American oak casks. They are fired from the inside to harden the wood sugar, which then reacts with alcohol and gives the whiskey its color and aroma.
Workers fill almost 500 barrels per hour, each of which holds about 200 liters of whiskey, then the barrels are sealed, loaded into trucks and taken to a warehouse.
By law, any American whiskey must be aged for at least 2 years, but Jack Daniels whiskey is aged for at least 4 years.
After aging, the drink is not bottled until it receives approval from the distillery’s master taster: “I want an aged brown or amber whiskey, closer to red.”
Interesting Facts About Whiskey Jack Daniels
Huge volumes
In 2017, 12,5 million bottles of Black Label were sold.
Marketing ploy
The brand name of the whiskey reads “Est. &Reg. 1866”, but the business was officially registered only from 1875.
Old No. 7
Whiskey brand “Old No. 7” came about thanks to one of Jack Daniel’s distilleries, which was awarded a state license under this number.
The Single Life of a Founder
Jack Daniel (the founder of the brand) has never been married or had children. He took his nephews under his wing – one of whom was Lemuel “Lem” Motlow (1869–1947).
A ban on the sale of alcohol is not a ban on the production
In Moore County, where Jack Daniels whiskey is made, it is illegal to sell any alcohol by law, but the city of Lynchburg itself allows the sale of beer, wine and spirits on all days except Sunday.
You can buy spirits from 8:00 to 11:00 and beer and wine from 6:00 to midnight.
Every Jack Daniels warehouse has at least three levels of barrels.
And the largest warehouse has 7 floors, so it can fit 20000 barrels of whiskey, and this is just one of 74 warehouses, enough for a lifetime!
Types of Whiskey Jack Daniels
Old No. 7
In two forty-degree versions (Black Label and less common Green Label) – an ordinary drink with a sweetish caramel-vanilla flavor and a characteristic smoky smell.
Recommended for use in mixes and cocktails (for example, with apple juice or cola). Although, if you are a real cowboy, you can not dilute it.
Tennessee Rye
70% Rye, 100% Jack. Rye whiskey according to a modern recipe, has a soft and sweet taste combined with a rich bouquet, which reveals the aromas of oak, spicy vanilla, caramel, mocha, tobacco, ripe bananas and gingerbread.
Gentleman Jack
XNUMX degree brand ambassador. Subjected to double carbon filtration: before being placed in barrels and before direct blending.
As a result, the taste of the drink is more balanced, and the aftertaste is softer.
It is drunk neat at a serving temperature of 18-21°C.
Single Barrel
Double filtered single malt digestif aged for 6 years.
This is a 47-degree dark amber aristocrat from the house of Jack Daniels, the taste and aroma of which is distinguished by a pronounced personality.
Along with the classic smoky-vanilla-caramel set, shades of toffee, ripe fruits and exotic spices are guessed here.
detailed overview of Single Barrel
Tennessee Fire
Author’s 35% liqueur based on OLD NO. 7. This time, with the addition of cinnamon essence.
The drink works on contrasts. At first, it gives the impression of a soft, sugary cinnamon-vanilla-caramel idyll, then it stuns with a wave of fiery fortress.
The product was released in 2015. Since, in fact, it is a cocktail in itself, it does not need to be diluted with anything. Although, many Americans can’t resist the temptation to splash some cola in there.
Tennessee Honey
A 35% dessert drink, which includes a special honey liqueur and the classic OLD NO. 7.
As a result, a fairly strong blend is obtained, with honey notes in taste and aroma, as well as a rather mild aftertaste.
The drink is recommended for drinking neat from tulip-shaped glasses at a serving temperature of 18-21°C. A small amount of organic sediment is acceptable in the bottle.
In addition, small batches of collectible and semi-collectible blends are periodically produced, created on the occasion of some significant event.
How to spot a fake Jack Daniels
The real Jack Daniels has:
A label covering three sides of the vessel, neatly pasted, of high quality and free of grammatical errors.
A characteristic plastic stopper and an impeccable excise stamp.
Alcohol is not inherent in: the presence of the slightest sediment or turbidity, as well as high (30% plus) promotional discounts.
It is recommended to shake the contents of the bottle. As a result, if you are dealing with a genuine drink, easily visible air bubbles will appear on the surface of the liquid.
The original Jack Daniels is bottled in strong square containers with smooth, unoiled edges, literate inscriptions engraved on the shoulders, and a perfectly square bottom with well-defined corners.
The neck of the vessel must also be faceted and have a convex ring at the base (by the way, the level of the drink must be slightly higher than the level of this very ring).
The cork must be tightly tightened with a perforated plastic film containing the name of the variety of drink on the front and the inscription “Tennessee WHISKEY” on the back.
jack daniels whiskey recipe
Relevance: 12.06.2019
Tags: Whiskey and bourbon, Whiskey brands