Course:HIST104/JackDaniel'sWhiskey

Jack Daniel's No.7 Whiskey
HIST 104
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Instructor:	Joy Dixon
	Brendan Wright
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Early History of Alcohol

Alcohol (ethanol) is the product of the process of fermentation. The exact origin of alcohol is often debated by historians. [14] However, the earliest evidence of intentional fermenting of beverages is argued to be dated around 9000 years ago in Jiahu, China. [13] It is known to be one of the oldest recreational drugs ever used by humans. Alcohol was also used for medicinal purposes [14] The earliest widespread beverages were beers and wines. Around 6000 BC. wine was made in Anatolia and Iran. [17] Beers were first brewed around 8000 years ago in ancient Babylon. These alcoholic beverages became very important to some people, especially ancient Egyptians some 4000 years ago. [1] Winemaking and brewing knowledge and technology eventually spread across the globe. The growth of brewing knowledge and technology led to the creation of several different types of beverages. Exposure to different cultures also influenced different alcoholic beverages as different ingredients were used.

In ancient cultures, there is evidence that alcohol became associated with power, wealth and religion. Written and visual evidence shows that wine was present at banquets, political events, and celebrations. Many rulers, like the Egyptian Pharaoh, Tutankhamun, was buried with dozens of jars of wine. One theory of why wine was seen as a product for the elites was that wine was more expensive to produce than beer, and was not produced year-round since it required ripened fruit. As for association with religion, some scholars claim that the alcohol gave people a lightheadedness resembling a spiritual experience to be closer to the gods. Wine was also used in ancient ceremonies to honour the gods. [14]

Distilled Alcohols

Distillation of alcohol

Before the late 1500's, most of the alcohol was created from fermentation, which created beer and wine. Distillation came into the mainstream and created products like brandy, whiskey, gin, and vodka. [14] Distillation in brewing is the process of removing water to increase concentrations of alcohol and enhance other factors such as flavour and colour. With this technique, people were now able to brew alcoholic beverages with an alcoholic content of greater than what was naturally allowed by fermentation only. Depending on the type of yeast used, this natural limit ranges from 20-25% alcohol by volume. [8]

Whiskey

Whiskey is an alcoholic beverage made from fermented grain mash after a distillation and aging process. The method of distillation aided in the creation of whiskey which, in legal terms, must be greater or equal to 40% alcohol by volume. Types of whiskey differ from region to region, as the grains used in making the beverage are different. They can range from corn, barley and wheat after a malting process. There are many methods of adding additional flavours to the beverage. Treating the malt before fermentation, selective distillation, flavour and colour additives and aging in certain wood barrels all contribute to the final whiskey product’s flavour, colour and smell.

Control and Prohibition

As alcohol consumption increased and became more widespread, the negative social problems associated with overconsumption increased. Social problems included illness, addictions, sexual abuse, and Temperance groups arose in many countries in the 1830's with some groups pressing for moderation of consumption, and others campaigning for full prohibition. A well-known example of prohibition occurred in the United States with the passing of the 18th Amendment. [14]

Prohibition in Canada:

Starting in 1840s a number of organizations and societies crossed into Canada from the U.S: the Washingtons (1840-49), the Sons of Temperance (1847), and the Order of Good Templers (1855). In 1864 Ontario and Quebec passed the Dunkin Act, allowing for optional voting on prohibition. In 1874 The WCTU (Women’s Christian Temperance Union) was formed and played a very important role to the women’s movement in both the U.S and Canada. Following that, (1873-1874) A movement was launched in which thousands of women kneeled, sang and prayed in front of saloons. In 1876, the Dominion Alliance for Total Suppression of the Liquor Trade was set up. The goal was nationwide prohibition. In 1879, the federal government passed the Dominion Temperance Act. This allowed local bans on the sale of alcohol. However, alcohol remained present in much of Canada. 1893, the Dominion Alliance succeeded in getting prohibition into the Liberal Party platform as well as the promise of a plebiscite on the issue if elected. In 1898, the Liberal party campaigned the Act of the Plebiscite on Prohibition. This was put to vote. The outcome was that the act was defeated at the federal level and prohibitionists turned to the provinces. All provinces but Quebec adopted sale bans in 1916 and 1917. However, Quebec joined in 1918. The federal government announced national prohibition at the end of 1917 as a war measure and it came into effect in March 1918. Prohibition in Canada ended one year later after the end of the war. At the expiration in 1920 the Federal Government returned control to the provinces. Ontario’s Liquor Control Act (LCA), established in 1927, ended prohibition by permitting the sale of beverage alcohol in publicly managed liquor stores, and wine and beer through the wineries and breweries.

Prohibition was attempted because the social reformers belonging to Evangelical religious groups were fighting for prohibition in order to achieve salvation by transforming individuals and society. However, Roman Catholic and Anglican churches were against prohibition and in favour of moderation. [2][6][15]

Prohibition and Whisky:

Over 200 distilleries focused on making rye whisky prior to the prohibition. Whisky was the most widely consumed alcoholic beverage. By 1800 and 1830, annual per capita of whisky hovered around 5 gallons, the highest in American history. In 1794, the Whisky Rebellion fought against the tax on whiskey that was intended to be used to generate revenue and to help reduce national debt. The Whisky Rebellion demonstrated the government’s limitations, not its control. [2][6][15]

Alcohol Today

In most western countries, alcohol can be seen as a feature of daily life. Alcohol is served in restaurants and bars, and often consumed with meals and at celebrations. However, different countries have different attitudes towards alcohol. For example, France has a more relaxed attitude towards alcohol while some Muslim countries prohibit alcohol. Today, there is still an emphasis on the negative impact of overconsumption, for example, and drinking and driving. After WWll, automobiles became widespread and thus increasing driving incidents. Advocacy groups, like Mother Against Drunk Driving (MADD), has increased awareness of the dangers associated with alcohol. Most countries have a minimum legal drinking age, taxes, blood-alcohol ratios for operating vehicles, and other government policies that regulate and promote safety with alcohol. [14]

Jack Daniel's - Origin of Company

Jack Daniel's sells Tennesee Whiskey. The founder, Jack Daniel, was born in 1949 in Lynchburg, Tennessee, according to his biography written by Krass. [11] Jack's grandfather is from England and his grandmother is from Scotland. They emigrated to America and his grandfather fought in the American War of Independence. [4] His mother and father died early on in his life, and he was taken in by a local minister named Dan Call. Dan Call was also a distiller on the side. After the Civil War, Call was forced to choose between the church and distilling whiskey. Dan chose the church and so Jack took over the distillery. When Jack passed away, he turned the business over to his nephew, Lem Motlow. Jack was never married and had no children. Jack Daniel's whiskey is differentiated from other whiskey through using the "Old Lincoln County process" which requires filtering the whisky through charcoal. The distinct taste of Jack Daniel's whisky is also due to the use of iron-free cave spring water from the hollow in Lynchburg where the distillery was and is still located. Jack Daniel's whisky has won many awards, including receiving the gold medal for finest whisky at 1904 St. Louis World's Fair. Jack Daniel's Distillery is the oldest registered distillery in the United States. [9]

Jack Daniel

Jack Daniel's - Old No.7 (750mL)

There are several stories as to why Jack Daniel's original flagship whiskey is named No.7. On the company's website, it suggests that perhaps it was Jack's lucky number or perhaps he had 7 girlfriends, but the real reason is known only to Jack. [9] In his biography, Krass explains that the government assigned numbers to business within each tax district, and his company was assigned number 7. Old No.7 was bottled in an iconic square bottle. Krass claims that Jack chose the bottle to show that he is a "square" person - signifying traditional, honest values. [11] Krass describes that this was important as distillers were seen as "shady" at the time. The distinctive black and white label also signifies simple, traditional values. The iconic look of the bottle, combined with Jack's character and values, enabled a premium, high quality product to be sold.

Jack Daniel's Success and Influence

Jack Daniels has been serving the world for about 140 years and has become one of the best selling brands of American whiskey. In a report published in 2012, statistics show the brand was the 19th best selling spirit globally, and the highest ranking whiskey produced outside Scotland and India. From 2002 to 2007, the sale of Jack Daniels abroad soared from 45,00 cases to 4.8 million cases a year while it’s closest rival, Jim Beam Kentucky Bourbon only sold 6 million cases in 2007. The sales of Jack Daniels has continued to grow both in the states and internationally. Bartenders worldwide have begun noticing a trend of Generation X and Y choosing whiskey over other types of liquor.

One reason for its success is its advertisement. The main form of advertisement until the 1950’s was through word of mouth. It wasn’t until 1951, that Fortune magazine published biography of Jack Daniels, and 1954 when True magazine greatly emphasized Jack Daniels whisky as some entertainment celebrities’ favorite drink. After gaining much recognition and confidence through those magazine articles, instead of pulling back from advertisement when their demand exceeded their supply, they actually spent money to advertise that fact.

Jack Daniels exerts a large influence on popular culture and is referenced in many songs, movies and television programs. The brand is mentioned to be several character’s favourite drink on cartoon sitcom “Family Guy” and on Youtube’s popular “Epic Meal Time.” Also, it has been nicknamed the drink of celebrities and Frank Sinatra calls it the "Nectar of God". The brand’s name is also often synonymous with the liquor itself, and several popular drinks call for the specific use of the Jack Daniels brand including Jack and Coke and Three Wise Men. [3][12][16]

References

1. Bamforth, C. W. (2003). Beer : Tap into the art and science of brewing Oxford University Press. 25-26
2. Beaumont, Stephen. 2011. "Americans Celebrate Rye Whiskey Revival." Nation's Restaurant News 45 (23): 44-n/a.
3. Bhasin, Kim. "It Took Brilliant Marketing To Turn Jack Daniel's Into The World's Most Popular Whiskey." Business Insider. January 10, 2012. Accessed November 25, 2015. http://www.businessinsider.com/jack-daniels-marketing-history-biggest-whiskey-brand-2012-1.
4. Bigger, Jeanne Ridgway. 1972. Jack daniel distillery and lynchburg: A visit to moore county, tennessee. Tennessee Historical Quarterly 31 (1): 3-21.
5. David Kiley. “Jack Daniel’s International Appeal.” Bloomberg Business. October 10 2007. Accessed November 21 2015. http://www.bloomberg.com/bw/stories/2007-10-10/jack-daniels-international-appealbusinessweek-business-news-stock-market-and-financial-advice
6. Dostie, Benoit and Ruth Dupré. 2012. "“The People's Will”: Canadians and the 1898 Referendum on Alcohol Prohibition." Explorations in Economic History 49 (4): 498-515
7. Drinks Mixer. “Three Wise Men shot drink recipes.” Accessed November 21 2015. http://www.drinksmixer.com/cat/475/
8. Forbes, R. J. (1970). A short history of the art of distillation: from the beginnings up to the death of Cellier Blumenthal Brill Academic Pub.
9. Home | Jack Daniel's Tennessee Whiskey. Accessed November 25, 2015. http://www.jackdaniels.com/ca.
10. Kosar, Kevin R., and Ebrary Academic Complete (Canada) Subscription Collection. 2010. Whiskey: A global history. Chicago;London;: Reaktion Books, Limited.
11. Krass, Peter. Blood and Whiskey: The Life and Times of Jack Daniel. New Jersey: Wiley, 2004.
12. Listaka. "Top 12 Best Selling Whiskey Brands in the World - Listaka." Listaka. 20 July 2015. Web. 23 Nov. 2015.
13. McGovern PE, Zhang JZ, Tang JG et al. C (2004) Fermented beverages of pre- and proto-historic China. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, USA, 101, 17593–17598.
14. Phillips, Roderick, and Project Muse University Press eBooks. 2014. Alcohol: A history. 1st ed. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press.
15. Risen, Clay. 2013. "How America Learned to Love Whiskey." National Journal 2. Academic Search Complete, EBSCOhost (accessed November 17, 2015).
16. Stengel, Jim. "Jack Daniel's Secret: The History of the World's Most Famous Whiskey." The Atlantic. January 9, 2012. Accessed November 28, 2015. http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2012/01/jack-daniels-secret-the-history-of-the-worlds-most-famous-whiskey/250966/.
17. Tammy Hughes. “World’s Best Selling Spirits is revealed (and the winner is very unexpected).” The Daily Mail UK, June 6 2012. Accessed November 21 2015. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2155377/Top-alcopops-Worlds-best-selling-booze-brands-revealed--Jinro-number-one.html
18. Vouillamoz, José F.; McGovern, Patrick E.; Ergul, Ali; Söylemezoğlu, Gökhan; Tevzadze, Giorgi; Meredith, Carole P.; Grando, M. Stella (20 January 2006). "Genetic characterization and relationships of traditional grape cultivars from Transcaucasia and Anatolia" (PDF). Plant Genetic Resources: Characterization and Utilization (Cambridge University Press) 4 (02): 144–158.