Jess Motlow

“saved Jack Daniel’s During Prohibition”

In Jack Daniel’s 150-plus year history, only eight men have served as master distiller of the Jack Daniel’s distillery: first, of course, was Jasper “Jack” Daniel’s. Number two on the list, inheriting this responsibility from Jack, was Jess Butler Motlow, Jack’s nephew, and the younger brother of Lem Motlow.

Jess and Lem were a good team at a time a team was needed: Jack had run the company serving in dual role as business owner and master distiller since its inception in 1866. Lem had the business know-how, and Jess had the whiskey know-how.

Personal Life

Jess Butler Motlow, born February 4, 1876, was the third son born to Felix and Nettie Motlow, in Moore County, near Lynchburg, TN.

In 1901, at the age of 25, Jess married Alice R. Shofner, the daughter of Confederate veteran James C. Shofner, in 1901. They had three children, and were married for 53 years, until Alice’s death, in 1954.

Becoming Master Distiller

In 1907, due to Jack’s failing health, Jack Daniel’s handed over the business to his nephew, Lem, and his cousin, Dick Daniel (Dick later sold his share to Lem, making Lem sole owner). On the distilling side, Jess was taught the art of crafting fine whiskey from his Uncle Jack, and four years later, in 1911, Jack passed away and Jess was officially named master distiller.

Temperance Becomes a Movement

While most people are familiar with the period of the 1920’s as the period of Prohibition, the temperance movement had been alive and thriving years earlier in parts of the south and, especially, Tennessee.

It was 1911 when Tennessee passed the first state-wide Prohibition laws in the country; speaking to the Motlow’s business savvy, they started making Old No. 7 at a distillery they built years earlier, called the Birmingham Distilling Company, in Birmingham, Alabama.

In 1915, though, the temperance movement gains a little more ground, and Alabama passes temperance laws, and the Motlow’s move operations to St Louis, Missouri.

Eventually, the temperance movement becomes a national phenomenon, and the US Congress passes a constitutional amendment, and national prohibition laws force the Jack Daniel’s company, and all distilleries, to halt production entirely in 1918.

When Prohibition is repealed in 1933, Tennessee doesn’t join in, maintaining their state-wide laws on the books for several more years. While there are officially no action operations and the long-dormant distillery has long deteriorated, Jess is still officially the master distiller.

The distillery remained dry until 1937, when Tennessee repealed Prohibition laws, and Jess rebuilt the distillery in Lynchburg from the ground up, and ensured the same process used years earlier were followed – from the cave spring water, to mellowing through sugar maple charcoal.

A fan of his own product, stories about Jess humorously refer to his habit of wearing large, baggy pants, so he could "hide" five or six 1/2 pints in them and nobody would notice.

Most of all, Jess is best remembered as the master distiller who saw the company through the difficult period of Prohibition. Former Master Distiller Jeff Arnett has said, “If it weren’t for Jess, there would be no Jack”, because it was Jess’s knowledge and experience all those years prior to prohibition, and his memory after the long Prohibition period, that enabled the distillery to re-open, and the product to be the same, consistent, quality product people had come to know so well.”

Post-Prohibition

Shortly before Jess’s retirement, in 1939, Lem Motlow’s Tennessee Sour Mash Whiskey was introduced. For more than 50 years, until 1992, this release was available in a variety of sizes and proofs. Now, limited in quantity and highly sought after, these bottles are difficult and usually quite expensive to obtain.

On Oct 28, 1957, Jess Motlow died of a cerebral hemorrhage, in Shelbyville, TN.

One Final Little known fact:

Years later, in 2012, the Jack Daniel’s distillery launched a series of special releases of whiskeys honoring the 7 master distillers. Honoring Jess, the bottle bearing his time of service as Master Distiller is printed in two places on the label, and on one his tenure is incorrectly printed as 1911-1944; the error was corrected, but not until some bottles were already sold and distributed. The bottles bearing the incorrect date are unique and a special find for collectors.