Jack Daniel Distillery
Lynchburg’s charcoal-mellowed Tennessee whiskey, and the best-selling American whiskey in the world.
Jack Daniel’s is made in Lynchburg, Tennessee, and owned by Brown-Forman. Here is who owns it, how the charcoal-mellowed whiskey is made, the range, the history and how to visit.
At a glance
House style & flavour profile
Smooth, sweet and soft, with a light charcoal edge.
Caramel, banana, vanilla and a little oak char. Toffee, sweet corn, light spice and toasted wood.
Short to medium, soft and slightly dry.
Reviews of Jack Daniel Distillery
Visiting the distillery
Moore County is a dry county, so what you can taste and buy on site is limited. Check the distillery website for the current tour menu.
History
The full guide to Jack Daniel Distillery
Jack Daniel’s is the best-selling American whiskey in the world, and it is made in a small town. The distillery sits in Lynchburg, Tennessee, in Moore County, and it has been making whiskey on the same site for more than 150 years. If you want to understand what Tennessee whiskey is, and why it is not quite the same thing as bourbon, this is the place to start.
Who owns Jack Daniel’s?
Jack Daniel’s is owned by Brown-Forman, an American company based in Louisville, Kentucky. Brown-Forman bought the distillery in 1956 from the Motlow family, who had run it since Jack Daniel handed it to his nephew Lem Motlow in 1907. It is still the company’s biggest brand.
Brown-Forman is listed on the New York Stock Exchange but is still controlled by the Brown family, which makes it unusual among the big spirits groups. Jack Daniel’s does not belong to Diageo, Pernod Ricard or Beam Suntory. For the wider picture of which company owns which whisky, see our guide to who owns what in whisky.
The history of the Jack Daniel Distillery
Jack Daniel was a teenager when he started learning to distil in Lynchburg. His teachers included Dan Call, a local preacher and storekeeper, and Nearest Green, an enslaved man who was an expert distiller. The company has openly credited Green’s part in the story since 2016, and his legacy lives on in the Uncle Nearest brand.
The distillery gives 1866 as the year it was registered, which makes it one of the oldest in the United States, although some historians date the business to 1875. The whiskey won a gold medal at the 1904 World’s Fair in St. Louis and the brand’s fame grew from there.
Jack Daniel died in 1911. Tennessee banned alcohol in 1910, years before national Prohibition, and the distillery was shut down for decades. Lem Motlow fought to get it going again and production in Lynchburg restarted in 1938. After the 1956 sale to Brown-Forman, sales grew steadily, and Jack Daniel’s became one of the most recognised bottles on any back bar.
How Jack Daniel’s is made
The recipe, or mash bill, is 80% corn, 12% malted barley and 8% rye. That is a corn-heavy recipe, just like bourbon, and it is one reason the whiskey tastes sweet. The water comes from Cave Spring, a limestone spring on the distillery grounds that is naturally free of iron. The whiskey is made by the sour mash method, where some of the previous batch is used to start the next one.
The Lincoln County Process
What sets Tennessee whiskey apart is a step called the Lincoln County Process. Before the new spirit goes into barrels, it is slowly dripped through about ten feet of charcoal made from sugar maple. The charcoal is burned at the distillery. Charcoal mellowing is meant to take out harsh flavours and leave a softer, rounder spirit. Only then is the whiskey filled into new, charred American white oak barrels to mature.
Is Jack Daniel’s a bourbon?
Jack Daniel’s calls itself Tennessee whiskey, not bourbon. On paper it meets almost every bourbon rule: more than 51% corn, new charred oak barrels, nothing added. The difference is the charcoal step, plus the fact that it is made in Tennessee. Tennessee law now requires both for any whiskey sold under that name. We cover the long answer in Is Jack Daniel’s a bourbon?
The Jack Daniel’s range
Most people know the black label, but there is more to the range than that. The main bottlings are:
- Old No. 7 (40% ABV, 80 proof), the classic black label and the one that built the brand. Read our Jack Daniel’s Old No. 7 review.
- Gentleman Jack (40% ABV), charcoal mellowed a second time, after maturation, for a softer drink. See our Gentleman Jack review.
- Single Barrel Select (94 proof, 47% ABV), each bottle from one hand-picked barrel. Read the Single Barrel Select review.
- Bonded (100 proof, 50% ABV), a bottled-in-bond expression with extra strength and body. Read the Jack Daniel’s Bonded review.
- Tennessee Rye (90 proof, 45% ABV), a spicier whiskey made with a rye-heavy recipe.
- Tennessee Honey, Tennessee Fire and Tennessee Apple, flavoured expressions at a lower strength, a different product from the whiskeys above.
New to the brand? Our beginner’s guide to Jack Daniel’s walks through the range in the order we would try it. If you are weighing it up against its biggest rival, read Jim Beam vs Jack Daniel’s, or see why it gets more hate than it deserves.
How to drink Jack Daniel’s
Old No. 7 is made for mixing as much as for sipping. The classic is the Jack and Coke, and the Lynchburg Lemonade is its summer cousin, named after the town. The higher-strength bottles, such as Single Barrel Select and Bonded, are better neat or with a little water.
Visiting the Jack Daniel Distillery in Lynchburg
The distillery is a popular day trip from Nashville, roughly a 90-minute drive away. The visitor centre runs several tours, and it is a good idea to book ahead in busy months. One quirk: Moore County is a dry county, so what you can taste and buy on site is limited by local law. Check the distillery website for the current tour menu and opening hours before you go.
Jack Daniel’s: quick answers
Who owns Jack Daniel’s?
Brown-Forman, a Louisville-based company, has owned Jack Daniel’s since 1956.
Where is Jack Daniel’s made?
Jack Daniel’s is made at the Jack Daniel Distillery in Lynchburg, Tennessee, USA.
What does “Old No. 7” mean?
Nobody knows for certain. The company has never settled on a single explanation, and the name is part of the brand’s mystique.
What proof is Jack Daniel’s?
Old No. 7 and Gentleman Jack are 80 proof (40% ABV). Single Barrel Select is 94 proof, Tennessee Rye is 90 proof and Bonded is 100 proof.
Is Jack Daniel’s whisky or whiskey?
It is spelled whiskey, with an “e”, as is usual for American and Irish spirits. Scotch, Japanese and Canadian whisky drop the “e”.
How does Jack Daniel’s compare with other whiskey?
It is smoother and a little lighter than most bourbon thanks to the charcoal step. See Johnnie Walker vs Jack Daniel’s for a head-to-head against the best-selling Scotch.
Thomas Grønvold is the founder of Caskable and a whisky enthusiast who believes the best way to learn about whisky is simply to drink it, compare it, and stay curious. From supermarket favourites to bottles from distilleries around the world, he writes about what he actually tastes and experiences, without pretending you need to be an expert to enjoy a good dram.
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