Happy 160th Birthday Jack!

One of the most successful spirits and most recognizable names is, of course, Jack Daniel’s. In celebration of his 160th birthday, the famous Tennessee distillery has released a special limited edition black bottle. One thing that has got me confused, is that, according to Jack Daniel’s (the man) Wikipedia page, he was born on September 5, 1846. Based on this, Jack would have just celebrated his 164th birthday. Now, the 160 could not possibly be in reference to the founding of the brand, since Jack Daniel’s (the brand) wasn’t founded until 1875.

So are all of the blogs (Cool Material, Notcot, Vodka & Co.) that are posting about the special 160th Birthday Bottle four years too late? Or, is the brand just using the 160 because it’s a nice round number?

On closer inspection, the Jack Daniels website posts that no one really knows exactly when Jack was born:

“No one really knows exactly when Jack Daniel was born. A town fire destroyed the courthouse records, and conflicting dates on Mr. Jack’s and his mother’s headstones have left his date of birth in question. It’s customary to celebrate Mr. Jack’s birthday in September – so he gets a whole month. But for a man as unique as Jack Daniel, one day just wouldn’t seem proper, anyway.”

So there you go, there should be an asterisk next to Jack’s birthday on Wikipedia.

As for the limited edition 750ml bottle, it’s sexy as hell. Jack would be proud.