The Office Safe That Killed Whiskey Distiller Jack Daniel

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The death of Jack Daniel (circa 1849 – 1911), founder of the famous Tennessee whiskey brand Jack Daniel’s, is one of the more unusual stories in the history of American distilling. He did not die from alcohol-related illness or simple old age. Instead, Daniel’s death was the result of a seemingly trivial accident involving his office safe.

Jack Daniel, the Teenage Moonshiner Prodigy

Distiller and businessman Jasper Newton “Jack” Daniel is best known for founding the Jack Daniel’s whiskey distillery in Tennessee. The brand became the top selling American whiskey in the US and the world. Born in Lynchburg, Tennessee, Jack Daniel went to work as a child for a preacher, grocer, and moonshine distiller. The boy did not exhibit much enthusiasm for grocery or the gospel. However, when his boss showed him – or ordered a slave to show him – how to operate his whiskey still, young Daniel took to it like a fish to water.

He exhibited a precocious talent that led him to get his own distillery license while still a teenager. Over time Daniel became one of America’s most successful distillers. His whiskey, produced using the distinctive Lincoln County Process in which the spirit is filtered through charcoal before aging, gained a reputation for quality and consistency. It gained in popularity, and in 1897 the brand gained its distinctive appearance when Daniel began using square shaped bottles. The brand’s reputation was greatly enhanced after it won the gold medal for finest whiskey at the 1904 St. Louis World Fair.

A Lethal Safe

The Jack Daniel’s brand surged in popularity nationwide, even as Daniel’s reputation suffered locally because of the growing temperance movement. Nonetheless, by the early twentieth century, Daniel was wealthy and widely respected – at least in the whiskey industry. One day, he went to work early, and arrived at the office before his assistant. He tried to open the safe but was unable to do so on his own. He always had trouble remembering its combination, and typically relied on a trusted office assistant to open it for him.

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Frustrated and impatient, Daniel reportedly kicked the safe with considerable force. The kick badly injured his big toe. At the time, medical treatment for injuries and infections was far less advanced than today. Antibiotics did not yet exist, and even relatively minor wounds could become dangerous if infected. Daniel’s toe got infected. The infection worsened, and spread into his bloodstream. That led to a serious condition that today would likely be treated easily, but back then was often fatal. Historical descriptions suggest he developed blood poisoning, which modern medicine would identify as sepsis.

Jack Daniel’s Safe

Square Jack Daniel’s whiskey bottle. Imgur

On October 9^th, 1911, Jack Daniel died from complications related to the infection caused by kicking his safe. He was approximately sixty one years old. The distillery he founded did not die with him, however. Daniel had passed control of the company to his nephew, Lem Motlow, who continued operating the business. Motlow successfully guided the company through difficult periods, including the coming era of Prohibition in the United States from 1920 to 1933, when alcohol production and sales were banned nationwide. Although the distillery had to suspend operations during Prohibition, the brand survived. It eventually became one of the most recognized whiskey labels in the world.

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The story of Jack Daniel’s death has become part of the lore surrounding his whiskey. Distillery guides in Lynchburg have long told visitors that the founder died because he kicked his safe in frustration. Whether every detail of the story is perfectly accurate is difficult to confirm after more than a century, but it remains the most accepted explanation among historians and company records. The safe went on to gain legendary status. It features prominently in tours of the facilities, and even gets sent out on public tours of its own.