The Only 2 Times Jack Daniel's Ever Stopped Production In The Company's Almost 200-Year History

Jack Daniel's isn't just iconic in the world of booze. It's a cherished part of American culture that goes all the way back to the late 1800s, making it one of the oldest American whiskeys. The distillery itself, which was established in 1866, was the country's first registered distillery, and it has been pumping out several different kinds of whiskey under the Jack Daniel's brand ever since. Well, with two exceptions. Production has shut down twice in the entirety of the distillery's existence.

There's a ton of history surrounding Jack Daniel's, from whether or not he was a real person to the story of his untimely death, and some facts are a bit more murky, like when he was born. But the reasons why production of Jack Daniel's spirits stopped twice are no mystery. The first shutdown occurred in 1910 and was a direct result of a dark spot in alcohol's history: Prohibition. The second time was for a more patriotic reason: America entered World War II. 

In 2025, the company announced layoffs and the closure of its cooperage, but that was simply a reduction as part of a restructuring plan. The shutdowns during Prohibition and World War II were not only unplanned but also extensive, as operations had to be completely halted on both occasions for a prolonged period of time. 

Tennessee, where Jack Daniel's has conducted its main operations since the very beginning, passed a statewide prohibition law in 1910, making alcohol and its distribution illegal, and forcing the American whiskey distillery to stop production. Ten years later, this law expanded to include the rest of the country. The Prohibition ended as a nationwide law in 1933, but the ban wasn't lifted in the state of Tennessee and so production of Jack Daniel's remained on hold. It wasn't until 1938 that things finally changed and the company was allowed to resume distilling, but the product had to be shipped out of state for sale. The company's Lynchburg distillery is located in Moore County, which has alcohol restrictions to this day — but the Jack Daniel's distillery has a special exception under Tennessee state law to sell its alcohol. 

The second time Jack Daniel's paused production was after America entered World War II  and many resources were being allocated to the war effort. Despite surviving Prohibition, Jack Daniel's once again had to halt production in 1944 because grain, one of the resources needed to distill the brand's whiskey, was going toward the war effort and was no longer available to make booze. In fact, the country actually enacted a nationwide distilling ban to conserve resources. Distilleries, including Jack Daniel's, were converted to make industrial strength alcohol, which was used for goods like synthetic rubber. 

Thankfully, this too passed and operations returned to normal after the war. Today, Jack Daniel's remains an iconic American brand that has earned a spot as one of the most popular American whiskeys available.