Some call it a classic, others call it overrated. One thing that is for certain when it comes to Jack Daniel’s however, is that it’s timeless and shrouded in mystery. 

When you think of Jack Daniel’s Tennessee whiskey, you immediately think of that iconic Old No.7 square bottle, complete with black and white label. It’s a best-seller all over the globe and is one of the most iconic tipples ever released. With a literal cult following, it’s one of the most recognisable brands on the planet. Oh, and it doesn’t half go well with cola. 

Recently, I’ve noticed a unique limited-edition release from Jack Daniel’s doing the rounds online again, despite having been initially released in 2017. It’s an expression I’ve only recently been fortunate enough to sample, so for today’s blog I thought I’d do a quick review of it. 

Released by Jack Daniel’s to commemorate the 125th anniversary of the opening of Lynchburg’s Red Dog Saloon, the Jack Daniel’s Red Dog Saloon Commemorative Whiskey is becoming increasing difficult to find and is a must-have for any American whiskey enthusiast. 

The Myth of Jack Daniel

In Lynchburg, Tennessee, local entrepreneur Jack Daniel was quite the character. Despite reportedly standing just 5ft 2 inches in height, he had a larger-than-life personality that would light up any room in which he entered. 

Jasper Newton ‘Jack’ Daniel was born in Lynchburg, Tennessee around 1846 – 1849, though famously, nobody actually knows his precise date of birth as a town fire is believed to have destroyed courthouse records for his date of birth.  He was the youngest of ten children and was of Welsh, Scottish, and Scots-Irish descent. Needless to say, with ancestry of that pedigree, whiskey was almost literally in his blood. 

He led an extraordinary life and began work when he was still a young boy. It is believed that Jack worked for a man named Dan Call, who worked as a preacher, a grocer, and a distiller. Now, here’s where things get a little hazy. For years, it was believed that Call taught young Jack how to work the stills and distil whiskey when he was just 13 years of age. In 2016 however, on the company’s 150th anniversary, the company stated that Jack was actually taught how to make whiskey by a slave owned by Dan Call, a man by the name of Nathan ‘Nearest’ Green. 

JD claim that the distillery was officially registered as a business by Jack in 1866, though again, some conflicting records state that it wasn’t founded until the year 1875 after an inheritance from his late father’s estate. 

What is for certain however, is that the whiskey produced there was an enormous hit. The whiskey was produced via the ‘Lincoln County Process’ which was a unique distillation technique in which the whiskey was filtered, drop by drop, through sugar maple charcoal. This gave the Tennessee whiskey a sweet, spicy, almost aromatic finish that was similar to bourbon, but somehow different. The whiskey was even bottled uniquely, as JD choose to use square bottles to represent fairness and honesty. He is believed to have said he chose a ‘square bottle for a square shooter’. 

Old No.7 became the brand’s signature whiskey and was reportedly given the name after the distillery was assigned number 7 in district 4 by the government. His registration number was later changed due to a logistical mix up by the government, but with the brand now established, he decided to keep the initial name on his whiskey labels.

Now, when it comes to JD, it seems like the only thing black and white is the iconic label on that square bottle. I say that because there is another story floating around out there which states that he chose Old No.7 as the name of his signature whiskey in honour of an old merchant friend of his, who had come from nothing to build a chain of 7 stores.