Is there anyone here lucky enough to have an example of pre-Brown/Forman Jack Daniel? I mean, not just to look at but open so you've been able to compare with today's. Or even yesterday's -- we have some of the old 90-proof, but it's from the '80s; still way too recent. B/F bought the company in 1955 or 56, so I guess the sample should be pre-1960 (assuming 4 or 5 years from still to store). I've been reading Peter Krass' "Blood and Whiskey" book about Uncle Jack and the times he lived in. Good book. Not completely accurate, but there's really no such thing with whiskey history and the author seems to expect you'll understand that. More than one could say about some other authors of recent whiskey histories. I especially enjoyed the "real story" of the famous "No. 7 Brand", which makes the most sense of any I've heard so far. Personally, I've always felt that although there really was a Jack Daniel who owned the Old Time Distillery, the image we have of him was pretty much the creation of his nephew Lem Motlow, who took the business from a regional to an international scope and who was the real marketing genius behind that brand.
Anyway, old bourbon or rye is pretty easy to come by. Old Tennessee seems much rarer. Those of us who've done side-by-sides with current vs (for example) National Distillers' Old Crow, or Old Dant from the fifties know how much brands can change over the years. Remember, unlike wine, whiskey doesn't change in the bottle; so the flavor differences are the result of evolving production styles. And I can only imagine what the REAL Jack Daniel's might have tasted like. Anyone out there had a chance to do that?