<P> The product meets the regulatory criteria for classification as a straight bourbon, though the company disavows this classification . It markets the liquor simply as Tennessee whiskey rather than as Tennessee bourbon . As defined in the North American Free Trade Agreement, Tennessee Whiskey is classified as a straight bourbon authorized to be produced in the state of Tennessee . Tennessee law (57 - 2 - 106) further requires most producers of Tennessee whiskey to filter the spirit through charcoal made from maple prior to aging, in addition to meeting the above requirements (the "Lincoln County Process"). </P> <P> Packaged in square bottles, Jack Daniel's "Black Label" Tennessee whiskey sold 12.5 million cases in the 2017 fiscal year, which ended on April 30, 2017 . Other brand variations, such as Tennessee Honey, Gentleman Jack, and Tennessee Fire, added another 2.9 million cases to sales . Sales of an additional 800,000 equivalent cases in ready - to - drink (RTD) products brought the fiscal year total to more than 16.1 million equivalent adjusted cases for the entire Jack Daniel's family of brands . </P> <P> The Jack Daniel's brand's official website suggests that its founder, Jasper Newton "Jack" Daniel, was born in 1850 (and his tombstone bears that date), but says his exact birth date is unknown . The company website says it is customary to celebrate his birthday in September . The Tennessee state library website said in 2013 that records list his birth date as September 5, 1846, and that the 1850 birth date seems impossible since his mother died in 1847 . In the 2004 biography Blood & Whiskey: The Life and Times of Jack Daniel, author Peter Krass said his investigation showed that Daniel was born in January 1849 (based on Jack's sister's diary, census records, and the date of death of Jack's mother). </P> <P> Jack was the youngest of 10 children born to his mother, Lucinda (Cook) Daniel, and father Calaway Daniel . After Lucinda's death, his father remarried and had three more children . Calaway Daniel's father, Joseph "Job" Daniel, emigrated from Wales to the United States with his Scottish wife, the former Elizabeth Calaway . Jack Daniels' ancestry included English, and Scots - Irish as well . </P>

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