3. It's the best-selling American spirit
- In 2014, Jack Daniel's sold almost $3 billion worth of whiskey. Seeing as the average bottle is around $20, that’s 150 million bottles of Jack Daniel's, give or take. That number might be reduced by a million or so following the passing of Lemmy, but it should keep JD well ahead of the competition nonetheless.
- When you order Jack at most bars, chances are you’re getting a shot of Jack Daniel’s Old No. 7. For about as long as it has been bottled, Jack Daniel’s whiskey has borne the number seven, and to this day there is still argument about it. The most popular theory is that his distillery was registered as number seven by the government, though this contradicts our first fact. Others have suggested that it represents his seven lovers (Daniel was never married). Whatever the case, many claim to know for sure, but it’s still a mystery.
- The legend of Daniel’s passing has been challenged by recent biographers, but as it goes, it was his temper that did him in. The company’s books were locked in a safe, and his nephew, Lem Motlow, was the one who usually opened it. One morning, Daniel arrived to work early, before his nephew. He tried to open the safe, but, as usual, could not remember the combination. Frustrated, he kicked the safe, breaking his big toe. This led to a blood infection that, years later in 1911, he eventually succumbed to. Before he died, he passed the distillery on to Motlow and another nephew, though Motlow ended up buying the other out. Motlow died in 1947, and thankfully never changed the name to his own. Because a Lem Motlow doesn’t quite sound like a thirst-quencher.
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