The Spiritual Bond – Gentleman Jack Daniels and the Armed Services
Whiskey has played an enduring role in our nation’s military history,
“Jack’s real name is Jasper Newton Daniel, that his grandfather immigrated from the British Isles. He comes to this country prior to the Revolutionary War and he will fight in the Revolutionary War. So you’ve got that tie to the family and his grandson, Jasper Newton, who we know as Jack, is actually named after two Revolutionary War heroes, sergeants Jasper and Newton.
“In ways both structured and informal, the paths of U.S. military branches and Jack Daniel’s have crossed many times over the course of the distillery’s history, the iconic black label of Old Number 7 Tennessee Whiskey is viewed as quintessentially American, and for troops stationed around the world. It’s a powerful reminder of home.
“George Washington, his troops had a ration of whiskey, or strong liquor as he would call it in that day, and that was a practice that happened with the military in the U.S. up until 1832. You wouldn’t think about having a unit without daily rations of whiskey or some kind of strong liquor, but in 1832 that changes, and then it had to be for medicinal purposes through the military doctors. I imagine there were a lot of prescriptions that were written during that time as there were during Prohibition, but that’s kind of the beginning. The other tie that the military and whiskey has in general is, it seems like whiskey has paid for a lot of our early wars. Again, George Washington will institute a tax on whiskey to help pay for the Revolutionary War and then later Abraham Lincoln will institute a tax on whiskey to help pay for the Civil War, and its that tax on whiskey that Jack Daniel’s is first in line to pay, and it’s why we’re the oldest registered distillery today,” Historian Nelson Eddy said.
“It’s almost like war put Jack Daniel’s into business. He was working for Dan Call, a Lutheran minister in Lynchburg and it’s at the Dan Call farm he learns how to make whiskey, this is prior to emancipation. So he’s working alongside the guy who runs the still, is an enslaved man by the name of Nearest Green. Well, Dan Call leaves to go off and fight the war and he leaves Jack Daniel and that enslaved man Nearest Green in charge of the still. And that’s Jack’s first taste of that, and it’s not long after that, after the Civil War that Jack will go into business for himself with Nearest Green and too part of the reason Jack buys the Lutheran minister Dan Call’s still is because during the Civil War there’s this religious fervor that sweeps through the country trying to help people deal with all the death and destruction they’ve seen, and during that religious fervor, Dan Call’s wife and his congregation come to him and say,
“Hey, you’re our spiritual advisor in two ways and you’re going to have to give up one of those spirits.” You know, either stick to preaching or stick to making whiskey. And Dan Call decides to stick with preaching and so he sells his still to Jack Daniel and Jack Daniel since emancipation has taken place during you know, after the Civil War, Nearest Green is free and he becomes Jack’s hired first Master Distiller. So the Civil War really puts Jack Daniel into business and later, you know, the American military will really propel the Jack Daniel’s brand.
America’s first-known Black master distiller
The story begins in Lynchburg, Tennessee, current home of the Jack Daniel Distillery. In the mid-1800s, Green’s slaveholders hired him out to a local preacher named Dan Call. Green, who had a reputation as a skilled distiller, made whiskey for Call, using a sugar maple charcoal filtering process that is believed to have originated in West Africa. Daniel, a boy who worked for Call, became Green’s apprentice and learned the special technique that gave the Tennessee whiskey its smooth taste.
After emancipation in 1863, when all enslaved people were freed, Daniel purchased Call’s distillery and hired Green as Jack Daniel Distillery’s first master distiller.
“The best knowledge that we have is that they had a mentor-and-mentee sort of a relationship, and I would say, a friendship,” says Blevins. “The stories that have been passed down [talk] about the care that Jack Daniel took to always acknowledge … the Green family….There are no known pictures of Green, but there is one of Daniel with Green’s son, George, sitting next to Daniel, rather than being relegated to the back. That photograph shows the respect that they had for one another and for their families,” says Stefanie Benjamin, an assistant professor of tourism management at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. “To be not only allowed in that photograph, but also positioned in the foreground and sitting right next to Jack Daniels himself.” VOA NEws
Mr. Jack showed no favorites as he sold his Whiskey to both sides of the Civil War and wars since.
Jack Daniel’s has been ranked among the 2021 Most Patriotic Brands in America, rising one spot since last year to #13 and representing the only spirits brand on the list. Brand Keys’ annual survey of iconic American brands identifies those which consumers believe best embody the value of “patriotism.”
Jack Daniels patriotism takes action:
Since Operation Ride Home began, a total of 6,410 individual junior-enlisted service members and their family members have travelled from their bases to homes around the country for the holidays. Men and women from the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, and Coast Guard have been assisted with travel to 47 of the 50 states.
For the 11th year, Jack Daniel’s and the Armed Services YMCA (ASYMCA) have kicked off their “Operation Ride Home” campaign that provides financial assistance to active duty junior-enlisted military and their families to travel from their place of military service to back home for the holidays.
As part of its “Operation Ride Home” program, the famed distillery and partner, the Armed Services YMCA (ASYMCA), will auction off the top barrel of each tree with proceeds going to assist junior-enlisted service members and families travel from their place of military service to back home for the holidays. Since the program began, 7,232 junior-enlisted service members and those with families have made the trip home to see loved ones over the holidays because of Operation Ride Home. Men and women from the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, and Coast Guard have been assisted with travel to all 50 states.
“Founded more than 150 years ago in Lynchburg, Tennessee, we couldn’t be prouder to be an American company and one that has tremendous respect for our country and its people. Every drop of our Tennessee Whiskey is crafted with pride here in the U.S., and we wouldn’t have it any other way,” said Matt Blevins, Jack Daniel’s Vice President and Global Brand Director. “We’re honored to have a place on this year’s list alongside some of the most influential brands in the country.”
Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey has been named as the most valuable spirits brand in the world by Interbrand in its Best Global Brands 2021 report. Jack Daniel’s is the only spirits brand ranked in the top 100 and comes in at #81 with a value of $6.5 billion, a 4% increase and moving it up one spot from #82 in 2020.
Our History of Armed Forces YMCA
What started as a call to comfort the wounded during the Civil War has grown to “Strengthening Our Military Family®” every single day.
The proud heritage of the Armed Services YMCA begins in 1861 during the Civil War when dedicated YMCA volunteers provided relief and comfort to sick and wounded soldiers. Initially the volunteers provided aide at military encampments located near the front lines, but shortly after, they braved the danger accompanying the solders on the battlefields.
News of these selfless and courageous actions spread quickly and the number of volunteers increased dramatically. Within months, the movement turned into the first large-scale civilian volunteer service corps and formed as the United States Christian Commission, whose purpose was to provide spiritual and physical comfort to soldiers.