Welcome To Red White And Booze

Rob 0:01

Welcome to Matt and Friends Drink the Universe.

Matt 0:11

Hello, listeners. This is Matt, the unilaterally elected president of this podcast.

Jen 0:15

Uh, that's not how this works.

Matt 0:18

Thanks, wife. I'd like to invite you to sit back, relax, grab a drink, and join us in celebrating the 250th birthday of the United States of America.

Gemma 0:29

Hello, hello, hello. What's going on here then? Looks like somebody's got a celebration. I'm gonna start talking with my own voice now. I'm not Michael Caine or a very bad impression of Michael Cain. I am Gemma from the Talking Cod Swallop Podcast, wishing you a very happy 250 years of being free from my country. Yeah, you colonial bastards.

Matt 0:51

Thank you, Gemma from Talking Cod Swallop, yet another country heard from. To get this party started, we're going to release a series of episodes called Red, White, and Booze that celebrate the brands that helped build this great nation. For the first episode in this series, I'm turning things over to my friend Keb Pound from the Stupid History Minute podcast to talk about Jack Daniels.

Keb Pound 1:12

Hey everybody, I'm Keb Pound, the host of the Stupid History Minute. I want to give a big thanks for Matt for handing me the keys and letting me take over for this episode of Matt and Friends Drink the Universe. Now, if you've listened to my show, you know I love digging into history behind everyday things. And when I heard that Matt was looking for someone to talk about one of the most iconic American drinks ever made, I just had to do it. So pour yourself something tasty, settle in, let's talk about a little whiskey company from Tennessee that somehow became one of the most recognizable brands on the planet. So, as part of this series examining iconic American drinks ahead of America's 250th

Why Jack Daniel’s Gets The Spotlight

Keb Pound 1:56

birthday, we're taking a closer look at Jack Daniels. Now, let's be honest, even if you've never had a sip of Jack Daniels, you know exactly what the bottle looks like. That's branding, folks. But the story behind that black label goes a whole lot deeper than whiskey. The story begins in Tennessee in the mid-1800s. Jasper Newton Daniel, better known as Jack Daniel, was born around 1850 and grew up in a rapidly changing America. See, for decades, the popular story was that Jack Daniel built his whiskey empire entirely on his own. But historians have spent the last several years bringing attention to a man whose role was overlooked for far too long. Nathan Nearest Green. Green was an African-American master distiller who taught the young Jack Daniel how to make whiskey. And not just whiskey, good whiskey. Green, who had been enslaved before emancipation, passed along the techniques and knowledge that helped create what would eventually become Tennessee whiskey. One of those techniques was charcoal mellowing, known today as the Lincoln County Process. In simple

Nearest Green And The Real Origin

Keb Pound 3:14

terms, whiskey gets filtered through sugar maple charcoal before it goes into a barrel. Think of it like running your whiskey through a giant Brita filter, except significantly cooler and with much better results. The process became a defining characteristic of Tennessee whiskey and remains a key part of production today. Modern historians and the company itself now recognize Nears Green as one of the most important figures in American whiskey history. Several generations of his family would go on to work at the distillery. In 1866, Jack Daniel established what is commonly referred to as America's first registered distillery in Lynchburg, Tennessee. Whether it was technically the first has been debated by historians, but there's no debate about its impact. The distillery was built next to Cave Spring Hollow, a limestone spring that still supplies water today. That spring produces roughly 800 gallons of water every minute. Let me say that again. As America though industrialized, during the late 1800s, Jack Daniels grew right along with it. Railroads expanded, distribution improved, and what started as a local whiskey became a regional product and eventually a national one. Along the way came the square bottle of black label that would become iconic. But then came trouble. Temperance movements gained political power and Tennessee enacted prohibition laws before national prohibition arrived. That meant Jack Daniels was forced to shut down years before the rest of the country joined the party, or technically ended it. When national prohibition became in 1920, legal alcohol production stopped across America. Many distilleries never came back. Jack Daniels himself never saw any of it because he died in 1911. One of the most

Prohibition, The Safe Story, Survival

Keb Pound 5:38

famous stories surrounding his death involves a safe. According to company lore, Jack became frustrated because he couldn't remember the combination. He kicked the safe, injured his toe, and eventually suffered complications from the injury, which may make him the only guy in history whose biggest opponent wasn't Prohibition, it was office furniture. Moral to the story: write down your passwords, people. The company survived though, largely thanks to Jack's nephew, Lem Motlow, who worked tirelessly to preserve the business through Prohibition, the Great Depression, and even wartime production shut down during World War II. But after the war, America entered a period of prosperity and consumer growth. Many brands focused on modernization. Jack Daniels did the opposite. Instead of promoting efficiency, it promoted authenticity. Instead of selling change, it sold tradition. Turns out people liked that a lot. By the 1950s and 1960s, Jack Daniels had become a cultural icon. Musicians, actors, and celebrities embraced the brand. The most famous fan was probably Frank Sinatra. Good old blue eyes. He loved Jack Daniels so much that he frequently talked about it in interviews and was often photographed with a glass in hand. When Sinatra died in 1998, reports indicate that a bottle of Jack Daniels was buried along with him. That is commitment to a brand. In 1956, Jack Daniels was acquired by Brown Foreman, which helped expand the company internationally while preserving its Tennessee

Tradition Marketing And Sinatra Fame

Keb Pound 7:20

identity. Over the following decades, Jack Daniels evolved from a regional whiskey into a global symbol of American spirits. Today, it's sold in more than 170 countries and moves well over 12 million cases annually. The distillery fills thousands of barrels a day. And here's a fun fact those barrels only get used once. Federal law requires Tennessee whiskey and bourbon to age in new charred oak barrels. After they're emptied, those barrels get shipped all over the world to age scotch whiskey, rum, tequila, beer, even hot sauce, maple syrup, and even soy sauce. So there's a decent chance a barrel that started life in Tennessee eventually ends up helping flavor something on the other side of the planet. Despite its global reach, every drop of Jack Daniels is still produced in Lynchburg using the same spring water and charcoal mellowing process connected to nearest green's teachings. And then there's one of the greatest mysteries in American whiskey. Old number seven. Nobody knows exactly

One-Use Barrels And Global Reach

Keb Pound 8:38

what it means. Theories include a government registration number, a railroad route, a lucky number, or Jack's seventh recipe. No one has ever proven any of them. Which means one of the most recognizable numbers in the world remains a mystery. Honestly, if you ask me, if they ever figure it out, I might be a little disappointed. That story, the story, of Jack Daniels is bigger than whiskey. It's a story about mentorship. It's a story about innovation. It's a story about resilience through prohibition, economic hardship, changing consumer tastes, and the passage of time. And most importantly, it's a story that reflects America's own journey. Complicated, evolving, imperfect, and incredibly influential. So as we approach America's 250th birthday, few products tell the story quite as well as Jack Daniels. Thank you for joining me on this look at the history of Jack Daniels. Huge thank you to Matt for letting me crash the party here on Matt and Friends Drink the Universe. If you enjoyed this episode and you're a history nerd like me, or just somebody who likes to learn weird stuff that you can bring up at the bar later while you're having a Jack Daniels, check out my daily podcast, The Stupid History Man. Again, I'm Keb Pound, and until next time, I want everybody to remember history is not boring. Most people just tell it that way. Cheers, everybody.

Unfiltered Studios Guy 10:14

This podcast is a production of Unfiltered Studios. If you would like to know more about joining Unfiltered Studios, please visit our website at unfpod.com for more information.

Matt 10:25

Would you like to take a boozy trip across the country, the planet, or the universe? Call our sponsor, the Poppins Travel Company, at 407-494-4070. That's 407-494-4070. Would you like to suggest something for us to drink, give us some feedback, or have your brand featured on Matt and Friends Drink the Universe? We would love to hear from all of

Old No. 7 Mystery And Wrap

Matt 10:46

our listeners. Please check our episode descriptions down below for links to send us a text, support the podcast, and visit our merch store. To keep up with our latest news or share your stellar sips with us, please like and follow Matt and Friends DTU on Facebook, Instagram, X, TikTok, Threads, Blue Sky, and Reddit. For more information about the podcast and links to all of our episodes, please visit www.matfriendsdtu.com. That's mat and friendsdU.com. Cheers, friends!