The oldest registered distillery in the U.S.
About Jack Daniel’s Distillery
The Jack Daniel’s Distillery – the oldest registered distillery in the U.S. – is where it all happens. It’s where Mr. Jack first crafted the recipe for Old No. 7. It’s where the pure, iron-free cave spring water flows. And it’s where every drop of Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Sippin’ Whiskey is still made today.
Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey is made with cool, pure, iron-free cave spring water from right here in the Hollow This water flows year-round at 800 gallons per minute at a constant temperature of 56° and is virtually iron free. It’s the reason why the Distillery was located in this spot originally – and why it’s remained there ever since. Just outside the cave you’ll find a statue of Jack Daniel. The man himself, standing guard over this prized spring.
Founded in 1866, Jack Daniel’s is the oldest registered distillery in the nation, famous for its sour mash whiskey. The charcoal mellowing process has been in use here for over 100 years. Jack Daniel was born five miles from what is now Jack Daniel Hollow in 1848. At the age of twelve he began working for Dan Call, who ran a distillery at Louse Creek. Three years later he became Call’s full partner, soon buying him out and making his own whiskey. Jack Daniel wanted the bottles square because he was known as a “square shooter.” The charcoal mellowing process takes the “corn” taste out of the liquor and makes it true “Tennessee Whiskey,” never called bourbon.
“We do things a little differently around here” – and that’s what gives Jack Daniel’s its distinctive character. They Charcoal Mellow their whiskey drop by drop, then let it age in their own handcrafted barrels. And they don’t follow a calendar. Their Tennessee Sippin’ Whiskey is ready only when their tasters say it is. They use their senses, just like Jack Daniel himself did. In fact, more than a century later, their Tennessee Whiskey is still judged the same way. By the way it looks. By the way it smells. And of course, by the way it tastes. Jack Daniel believed “Every day we make it, we’ll make it the best we can.” For him, that meant mellowing his whiskey drop by drop through ten feet of sugar maple charcoal. Seven generations later, they still mellow their whiskey just as Mr. Jack did. The reason is simple: it imparts a distinctive smoothness folks have come to expect from Jack Daniel’s. Charcoal Mellowing makes Jack Daniel’s what it is – a Tennessee Whiskey and not a Bourbon. It refines their whiskey’s rich flavor even before they fully mature it in barrels of their own making. Yes, it’s a painstaking process that demands extra attention and makes their whiskey a bit more costly to craft. But Mr. Jack wouldn’t have it any other way. Neither would they.
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