Lincoln County

Did a distillery tour and learned some very interesting things.

Jack Daniel's whiskey meets the US standards for bourbon, but they take it one extra step to make their unique whiskey. They run the alcohol through a slow steep of 12 feet of charcoal over a few day period of time before putting it in the charcoal barrels for four years. I think I remember that correctly, but I wouldn't bet on it.

Jack Daniels started his business at age 16 and began learning the trade at age 5 after he ran away from home and an awful step mother. He was only 5' 2" tall with platform shoes (4' 10.5" in actuality). He never married, but had lots of simultaneous girlfriends... 12, in fact, when he died at age 65 in 1911.

Jack Daniels died from complications of surgery after he angrily kicked a safe, broke his toe, which then became infected and gangrenous. He was too embarrassed to tell the doctor what was really wrong with him, so once he was treated it was too late to save his foot. First his foot was amputated, then his leg up to the knee, then finally his entire leg up to his hip. It was after this final surgery, that he passed away.... and all 12 girlfriends showed up at his funeral.

The alcohol vapors cause a fungus to grow on everything in a 200 yard radius. This creates a blackening of all the trees, buildings, shrubs and everything around. It was the telltale sign back in the days of Prohibition, leading the Feds right to the moonshine makers.

Moral of the story... the truth will always come out in the end.Read more