Episode 48 - Nelson Eddy: The Legend and Lore of Jack Daniel’s 

 

For everything we know with rock-solid certainty about Mr. Jack Daniel and the distillery that bears his name, a thousand more myths have popped up over the years. It’s to be expected when the famous square bottle and iconic black and white label, not to mention the whiskey inside, have touched the farthest reaches of the globe. On this episode, we talk with Nelson Eddy, the distillery’s longtime writer and historian, about the questions he gets posed as the keeper of the distillery’s legend, about the true significance of the Old No. 7, and about how what was true in Mr. Jack’s day largely remains true today when it comes to what’s made in and around the barrel.

 

 

Nelson Eddy: The Legend and Lore of Jack Daniel’s

 


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A long history often makes for a rich one. At Jack Daniel’s, we’ve had nearly 160 years to collect entertaining tales about our founder, our Distillery, our town, and our whiskey. But, because these events may have been ordinary stuff at the time, some exist only in Distillery lore. Fortunately, we have Jack Daniel’s brand historian Nelson Eddy to help separate fact from fiction, and the truth is, many of the facts really are stranger than fiction. 

 

Nelson has represented the Jack Daniel’s brand for nearly 30 years and learned the history and lore surrounding the brand working for Jack Daniel’s very first marketing director, Mr. Art Hancock.  In 1988, Nelson helped introduce the first new whiskey from the Jack Daniel Distillery in more than a century – Gentleman Jack Tennessee Whiskey — and has crafted numerous brand communications for Jack Daniel’s, including a book, a touring show, and countless videos and films. His encyclopedic knowledge of the brand comes not only from experience, but also from years of historical research, and perhaps most importantly, countless kitchen table conversations with Lynchburg residents.

 

On the final episode of Season 4 of Around the Barrel, Nelson returns for a conversation of his own about sifting through all of the many Lynchburg legends to find the kernels of truth. True to the spirit of the brand, Nelson takes his responsibility seriously while always retaining a lighthearted touch. He sees the humor in these tales and how they add richness and depth to an already beloved product. After all, who would believe that a single-stoplight town in a dry county would supply every drop of the world’s most famous whiskey to more than 160 countries? Or that a tricky safe combination was Mr. Jack’s eventual downfall?

 

People feel connected to a brand when there’s a story behind it, which is why so many products are named after people who never existed, but Mr. Jack and Lynchburg, Tennessee, were and are very real, enticing thousands of friends to find out more. Join us as Nelson puts some of the most popular debates to rest and we discuss the mysterious origins of Old No. 7, why our whiskey has a signature square bottle, and more, Around the Barrel.