Jack Daniel's
Type: Distillery and brand
Jack Daniel's is the whiskey brand associated with the Jack Daniel Distillery at Cave Spring Hollow in Lynchburg, Tennessee. Its production identity centres on a corn-led grain recipe and maple charcoal filtering before ageing, while its history connects founder Jasper “Jack” Daniel with distilling teacher Nathan “Nearest” Green and successor Lem Motlow.[1][6][9][11]
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Country and locality | United States, Lynchburg, Moore County, Tennessee.[3] |
| Distillery | Jack Daniel Distillery, Cave Spring Hollow.[1][3] |
| Founding | The producer gives 1866; the date is disputed.[1][10] |
| Owner identified by the producer | Brown-Forman, checked November 2026; the exact legal owner and effective date are not reliably established.[2] |
| Acquisition | Brown-Forman acquired the distillery in 1956; the court records completion of the Old Jack Daniel stock sale on 29 August 1956.[4][7] |
| Master Distiller | Chris Fletcher, from 2020, according to the producer.[1][5] |
| Grain recipe | 80% corn, 12% barley and 8% rye, according to the producer.[9] |
| Water | Cave spring water, described by the producer as iron-free.[2] |
| Business status | Cannot confirm from the supplied sheet, November 2026. |
| Distilling status | Cannot confirm from the supplied sheet, November 2026. |
| Visitor access | Tours are described by the producer; current access cannot be confirmed from the supplied sheet.[2] |
| Site status | Cannot confirm from the supplied sheet, November 2026. |
| Still count and capacity | Not reliably established.[9] |
| Historic designation | National Register of Historic Places, NRIS 72001248, published 14 September 1972.[3] |
What Jack Daniel's is known for
The clearest starting point is the production sequence rather than the familiar name. The producer describes a grain recipe dominated by corn, six days of sour mash fermentation, distillation in a large copper still and charcoal made from hard sugar maple.[2][9]
Maple charcoal filtering before ageing is also central to Tennessee's statutory definition, as explained in the Tennessee Attorney General's 2015 opinion on the legislation. That opinion identifies requirements including at least 51% corn, new charred oak and maturation in Tennessee.[8] These are Tennessee requirements, not a universal definition of whiskey.
The site itself has a recognised industrial and social history. Its National Register entry identifies both those areas of significance, giving the distillery a documentary identity beyond the brand's own account.[3] For another producer profile, see Jim Beam.
Grain, water and production
A mash bill is the grain recipe used to make a whiskey. Jack Daniel's publishes its recipe as 80% corn, 12% barley and 8% rye, and describes its fermentation as a six-day sour mash process.[9]
The same producer account describes the whiskey as single distilled in a large copper still. This is a description of the process, not a published count of the site's equipment; it should not be read as saying the whole distillery has only one still.[9]
| Stage | Producer's published account |
|---|---|
| Grain recipe | 80% corn, 12% barley, 8% rye.[9] |
| Fermentation | Sour mash method, six days.[9] |
| Distillation | Single distilled in a large copper still.[9] |
| Water | Iron-free cave spring water at approximately 13.3°C (56°F).[2] |
| Charcoal | Hard sugar maple burned in a rickyard.[2] |
| Cooperage | A company cooperage opened in Lawrence County, Alabama, in 2014.[1] |
The cave spring places water at the centre of the producer's account of the site. Its published temperature is unusually specific, but neither that temperature nor the grain percentages alone establish how a particular bottling tastes.[2][9]
The cooperage adds another location to the production story: the producer dates its Alabama opening to 2014.[1] It is useful to distinguish that facility from the Lynchburg distillery rather than treating every part of production as one site.
Jack Daniel, Dan Call and Nearest Green
The producer's history says Daniel left home in 1864 and was taken in by the Reverend Dan Call. It credits both Call and Nathan “Nearest” Green, an enslaved man, with teaching him distilling, and says Daniel later employed Green as head distiller, the role now called Master Distiller.[1]
The accounts of Daniel's teaching are disputed: the producer credits both Call and Green, while NPR reports that Green was hired to teach Daniel in the 1850s.[1][6] NPR also reports that, after emancipation, Green worked for Daniel's company alongside two of his sons.[6]
Green's role received renewed attention around the distillery's 150th anniversary in 2016. Reporting discussed by The Atlantic traces that attention through Clay Risen's 2016 New York Times article and a tip from a parent-company press contact.[14] NPR and The Atlantic describe Green as the first African American master distiller on record.[6][14]
The present-day production leadership has another family connection. The producer identifies Chris Fletcher as Vice President, Master Distiller and Director of Distillery Operations, a Lynchburg native and grandson of former Master Distiller Frank “Frog” Bobo.[5]
Story box: the founding date
story_title: Two accounts of the distillery's beginnings
founding_story: The producer says Jasper “Jack” Daniel officially established the distillery in 1866; reporting on biographer Peter Krass's research says land and deed records point instead to his entering business in 1875. Sources: producer's history and 2004 report on Krass's research.
turning_point: Moore County's 1938 vote permitted the distillery to return to its historic site after the operation had left during Prohibition. Source: Tennessee Encyclopedia.
documented_record: The National Register record lists 1866 as a significant year, which is distinct from resolving the competing accounts of when Daniel entered business. Source: National Park Service record.
sources and claim_source_mapping: The producer's history supports its 1866 claim; the 2004 report supports the account of Krass's deed research; the Tennessee Encyclopedia supports the return following the county vote; the National Register supports the recorded significant year. The direct source links accompany each field above.
last_checked: November 2026; exact day not documented.
Verdict badge
claim: Jack Daniel established the distillery in 1866.
verdict: Disputed
what_the_record_shows: The producer gives 1866, while Krass's research, as reported in 2004, points to 1875.
evidence_against_or_gap: The supplied record does not resolve the difference.
earliest_known_source: The earliest source of the founding claim is not established in the sheet; the supplied critical report dates to 14 November 2004.
sources: Jack Daniel's, Our History; The Record, Biographer disputes whiskey legend, 14 November 2004.
last_checked: 7 November 2026
From Lem Motlow to Brown-Forman
Daniel transferred the distillery to his nephew Lem Motlow in 1907. After Tennessee enacted prohibition, Motlow moved the operation to St Louis in 1910; the later return to Moore County followed his campaign for permission to bring it back.[11]
The Brown-Forman acquisition has a more precise documentary date than the founding. Brown-Forman's history places the acquisition in 1956, and the court record states that the sale of Old Jack Daniel stock was completed on 29 August that year.[4][7]
| Date | Verified event |
|---|---|
| 1907 | Daniel transferred the distillery to Lem Motlow.[11] |
| 1910 | Motlow moved the operation to St Louis following Tennessee prohibition.[11] |
| 1938 | Moore County voted to permit its return.[11] |
| 1944 | Production ceased during the Second World War, according to the producer.[1] |
| 1956 | Brown-Forman acquired the distillery; the court records completion of the Old Jack Daniel stock sale on 29 August.[4][7] |
| 2014 | The producer opened its Lawrence County cooperage.[1] |
| 2020 | Chris Fletcher became Master Distiller, according to the producer.[1] |
The court case also records a 1954 production cutback followed by orders exceeding supply. That gives the acquisition a documented business context without relying solely on a later company anniversary account.[7]
The range beyond Old No. 7
Old No. 7 is the starting point in the producer's published production material. The producer's timeline then records Gentleman Jack in 1988 and Single Barrel Select in 1997, followed by Tennessee Honey in 2011 and Tennessee Fire in 2015.[1][9]
Rye also has a distinct place in that chronology. The producer dates Single Barrel Rye to 2015, calling it the first new mash recipe since Old No. 7, and Tennessee Rye to 2017.[1] The producer's published grain percentages should not be assumed to apply across the range.
More recent dated entries include 10-Year-Old in 2021, the Bonded Series in 2022, 12-Year-Old in 2023 and 14-Year-Old in 2025.[1] These are documented milestones in the producer's account, not a promise that every expression is currently available in every market.
Visiting Lynchburg
The producer documents distillery tours and identifies the White Rabbit Bottle Shop, a recreated saloon and Daniel's grave with its two cast-iron chairs among the site's features.[2] Check the official visitor information for booking, accessibility and age conditions before making arrangements.
Moore County is dry, and the supplied accounts describe visitors' bottle purchases as limited to commemorative bottles.[11][13] A distillery visit should not be taken as evidence that ordinary alcohol sales operate throughout the surrounding county.
Where to go next
- Maker's Mark: continue with another American distillery and brand profile.
- George Dickel: explore another name in the site's American coverage.
- Woodford Reserve: compare another producer's documented history and production.
Sources
- Jack Daniel's. Our History. Undated producer's account, checked November 2026. https://www.jackdaniels.com/en-us/our-story/our-history
- Jack Daniel's Press Room. Background. Undated producer's account, checked November 2026. https://pressroom.jackdaniels.com/background/
- National Park Service. NPGallery: Jack Daniel Distillery, NRIS 72001248. National Register record, published 14 September 1972. https://npgallery.nps.gov/AssetDetail/NRIS/72001248
- Brown-Forman. History Timeline. Undated company account, checked November 2026. https://www.brown-forman.com/history-timeline
- Jack Daniel's Press Room. Chris Fletcher. Undated producer biography, checked November 2026. https://pressroom.jackdaniels.com/bios/chris-fletcher/
- NPR. Nearest Green: The Man Who Taught Jack Daniel's About Whiskey. 3 September 2017. https://www.npr.org/2017/09/03/548342180/nearest-green-the-man-who-taught-jack-daniels-about-whiskey
- US Court of Appeals, reproduced by Justia. Jack Daniel Distillery, Lem Motlow, Prop., Inc. v. United States. 379 F.2d 569, 1967. https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/appellate-courts/F2/379/569/361564/
- Tennessee Attorney General. Opinion No. 15-23. 2015. https://www.tn.gov/content/dam/tn/attorneygeneral/documents/ops/2015/op15-23.pdf
- Jack Daniel's. Our Mash. Undated producer's account, checked November 2026. https://www.jackdaniels.com/en-gb/articles/our-mash
- The Record, Stockton. Biographer disputes whiskey legend. Publication date to be verified. https://www.recordnet.com/story/lifestyle/2004/11/14/biographer-disputes-whiskey-legend/50685464007/
- Tennessee Historical Society. Tennessee Encyclopedia: Jack Daniel Distillery. Undated entry in the supplied record, checked November 2026. https://tennesseeencyclopedia.net/entries/jack-daniel-distillery/
- Encyclopaedia Britannica. What Famous Liquor Is Made in a Place Where It Can't Be Sold? Undated entry, checked November 2026. https://www.britannica.com/one-good-fact/what-famous-liquor-is-made-in-a-place-where-it-cant-be-sold
- The Atlantic. Nearest Green and Jack Daniel's history. 2019, title as supplied in the fact sheet. https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2019/02/nearest-green-jack-daniels-history/581611/
This desk-researched article uses the supplied verified fact sheet, distinguishing producer accounts from historical reporting, the National Register record and the court record.
Last checked: November 2026