The Jack Daniels Distillery is the oldest registered distillery in the United States. It was licensed in 1866. The whiskey that Jack Daniels first produced was Old No. 7 and he made it with pure spring water from an iron free cave water source. Jack Daniels left his family when he was very young and lived with a family friend named Dan Call. Mr. Call was an ordained Lutheran minister. He just happened to also possess a whiskey still. When Jack was only thirteen years of age in 1863 Mr. Call sold the still to Jack.
This spring that helped Jack Daniels produce his fine whiskey is still producing eight hundred gallons of pure water a minute. The temperature of the water is fifty six degrees. Right outside the cave where the water comes from is a statue of Jack Daniels. Besides being the oldest distillery it is also registered as a National Historic Site.
One of the attractions by the Jack Daniels Distillery is Miss Mary Bobo's. Miss Mary started her place as a hotel for travelers in 1867. Mr. Jack Daniels visited the place frequently for a midday meal. She ran her boarding house until her death in 1983. She was nearly 102 when she died. Miss Mary Bobo's Boarding House Restaurant still serves midday meals to visitors of the distillery.
One of the stories that has been circulated about Old No. 7 is that it was the seventh recipe batch of whiskey that Jack Daniels tried and it proved to be successful.
Jack Daniels died in 1911of blood poisoning. The story of how he got the infection begins with him kicking his safe in frustration because he had forgotten the combination. He broke his toe and got an infection which led to the blood poisoning. He is buried in the Lynchburg cemetery.
One of Jack Daniels ideas to promote his two saloons, the White Rabbit and the Red Dog was to create a band. He did this in 1892 when he formed the Silver Coronet Band. They performed in Lynchburg Square as well as the campaigns of presidential candidate William Jennings Bryant and a Tennessee Governor candidate Robert Taylor. Jack Daniels bought all of the instruments for the thirteen members of the band. They played together until World War I broke out.
Jack Daniels hosts some events including the World Championship Invitational Barbeque. The distillery has a racing car; they are well known at the Sturgis, South Dakota Rally and Races, too.
There are many products for sale that have Jack Daniels name associated with it. Some of the products that can be found in grocery stores are Old No. 7 BBQ Sauce, Original Steak Sauce and Mesquite EZ Marinade. Alcoholic beverages that are available are Jack Daniels Country Cocktails. There are also recipes like Lynchburg Lemonade that use Jack Daniels Tennessee Whiskey. Visitors to the distillery or online can find grilling tools, accessories and recipes. Although Jack Daniels has been gone for years his recipes live on.
