Jack

Jack Daniel, one of 13 children, was born in 1850. He was raised by a family friend before being hired out to work with the Dan Call family at the age of seven. Call, a Lutheran minister, also owned a whiskey still on the Louse River.Over the next several years, Jack learned everything he could about whiskey making from Call. Then, in September of 1863, under increasing pressure to devote his life to lifting spirits rather than selling them, Call sold his still to Jack, who was just 13 at the time. Jack Daniel, like Dan Call, believed in mellowing fresh whiskey through hard maple charcoal. While this process was widely used, the time and expense involved made it less popular with penny-pinching whiskey makers. But Mr. Jack thought it was essential, so he perfected his charcoal mellowing process back in 1866. To this day, this still gives Jack Daniel's its smooth character and unique taste. In anticipation of government taxes, Mr. Jack registered his distillery in 1866. He was the first to do so. Making it the nation's oldest registered distillery.