Product description
In September 2012, Jack Daniel's Distillery launched the Master Distillers Series, honoring the seven master distillers who have held this position from the distillery's founding to the present day.
The second on their list, and the longest-serving master (1911-1941), was Jesse Butler "Jess" Motlow. The edition dedicated to him was published in 2013. After Jack Daniel's death in 1911, the distillery passed into the ownership of his nephew Lem Motlow. Lem was never directly involved in whiskey distilling, while his younger brother Jess learned its secrets under Jack Daniel's supervision and Jack appointed him master distiller. Jess held this position for three decades, but for most of that time the distillery was idle due to state and national prohibition. Jess had an excellent memory, and this helped him rebuild the distillery after the repeal of prohibition, and also resume production of Jack Daniel's whiskey according to the original. When Lem Motlow died in 1947, his four sons inherited the distillery. Six years earlier, Jess had handed over his duties as Master Distiller to Lem Tolley and enjoyed a happy retirement. He died in 1957.