Jack Daniel's

Jack Daniel's is the highest-selling American whiskey brand in the world. The iconic black label whiskey meets the regulations to be labeled as a straight Bourbon, but is sold simply as a Tennessee whiskey.

Quite when the company was founded by the eponymous Jack Daniel is a matter for debate, and in fact many of the details surrounding Daniel himself are quite murky. Although the label suggests 1866 as a start date, official records cited by Daniel's biographer suggest the year was 1875. The "Old No.7" branding is said to refer to the original federal government registration of the distillery, which was number seven in District Four.

In the early 20th century, Jack Daniel's was struggling against the local temperance movement, and gained a major boost in markets further afield in 1904 when it won a gold medal at the St. Louis World's Fair. In 1909, Tennessee was made a dry state, and the company moved to St. Louis until a deal was brokered allowing whiskey production in Tennessee to be sold in other states. Moore County, Lynchburg, where the distillery is located, is still a dry area, so it is not actually possible to purchase Jack Daniel's at local stores and restaurants.

Along with the standard black label whiskey, Jack Daniel's makes a range of other products. This includes Gentleman Jack, which is charcoal filtered twice, Green Label, which is made from lighter spirits, and Silver Select, which is export only. On top of this, there are a range of single-barrel and barrel proof editions, as well as various blended liqueurs and special commemorative editions.

Jack Daniel's has been owned by the Brown-Forman Corporation since 1956.