Jack Daniels: Honey Dew, Or Devil''s Brew?

By Author: Bonny Kominek
Total Articles: 21
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History

Jasper Newton ?Jack? Daniels was born in 1850 as one of thirteen children. He was hired out to work for the Dan Call family at age 7, where he picked up his trade working in the Tennessee whiskey still owned by Call.

In 1863, when Jack was only 13 years old, Call sold him the still and the infamous whiskey brand was born. Jack was the first to register his distillery with the US government and so became the owner of the first official distillery in US history.

The first award Jack Daniels earned was at the 1904 World''s Fair, held in St. Louis, where the fiery beverage beat twenty competing whiskeys to take home the gold medal. Over the next ten years, it would win another three.

Method

Jack Daniels is a sour mash whiskey, which basically means that a ?mash? is formed from corn, water, malt, rye and barley, then mixed with yeast and left to ferment, or ?sour.? This yields optimum acidity. The water used in the process is sourced from a limestone cave rumoured to have been discovered by Jack himself.

The whiskey is distilled using much the same technique that Dan Call himself ...
... originally used. Being somewhat of a father figure to Daniels, it''s certain Jack didn''t deviate too greatly from what Call had taught him. Fundamentally, fresh whiskey is mellowed through hard maple charcoal. This process is what attributes the drink with its unique flavour and characteristic smokiness.

Taste and smell

Filtering Jack Daniels through maple charcoal allows the drink to retain a smoky flavour, while the alcohol itself is subtler than most spirits, and easier on the throat. Almost woody, there is a counter-sweetness which balances the burnt taste beautifully.

The scent itself is fruity, with overtones of Earth and wood. It bears a rich, sweet aroma which hints at malt liquor and ? according to some devotees ? betrays a subtle aniseed quality to its distinctive smell.

Jack Daniels manages to simultaneously taste and smell like bourbon, while at the same time tasting and smelling like something else. It has truly unique characteristics and has been enjoyed by countless celebrities ? including Frank Sinatra, Jimmy Page and Keith Richards.

Present ownership

The Brown-Forman Corporation owns all branding rights to Jack Daniels worldwide. Headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky, the huge wine and spirits company also boast ownership of Korbel champagne and Southern Comfort liqueur.

Founded in 1870 by George Garvin Brown, it was his innovation that first led to high-class whiskey being sold in sealed bottles. From these historic roots grew a corporation that reported $3.2 billion in wine and spirit sales for 2009.

Although still a powerful market force, Brown-Forman regrettably announced the redundancy of 250 workers in April of this year, blaming the present global recession for the cutbacks.

Legacy

Jack Daniels died in 1911, but the drink he loved so dearly has catapulted his name into immortality. He created arguably the most famous brand of whiskey on the planet, which has survived two turns of the century. The drink is cultured, but at the same time decadent. Its appeal is universal and devoid of all social difference ? which makes the market huge.

People know what they''re getting when they buy Jack Daniels: a 40% proof drink, a square bottle and a black label. Jack Daniels keeps it simple because familiarity is what we all crave nine times out of ten.

Jack Daniels used his life to write a legend. Definitely time well spent. Bonny Kominek has been tasting single malt whisky for over 20 years. One of his favourites at the moment is Tomatin Whisky, a single cask single malt whisky.