Tennessee legend, Jasper “Jack” Daniel's life was bookended by tragedy. His mother died shortly after his birth, leaving he and ten siblings with his father. But our hero took life's lemons and boldly made, well… the world’s best selling sour mash. (It's possible Daniels became a licensed distiller as young as age 16.) Jack never married and fathered no children. His days were focused solely on whiskey. And he was known to avoid all shortcuts that could have sacrificed smoothness or flavor in his product. 

It is also possible he took the same care in his grooming rituals. The result being a thick, handlebar mustache that became so full-bodied over the course of his life it could have qualified as a pet. And while the style was in keeping with turn-of-the-century fashions, the massiveness of his made it unique (it covered most of the lower half of his face). 

Daniel's storied career and folically-gifted existence came to a rather abrupt halt due to a deadly bout with blood poisoning. The cause? An infection in his toe that resulted from kicking a safe early one morning before work. (It was said he’d frequently forget its combination.) On the morning of his death, in 1911, Jack's last words were fitting for a man so devoted to distilling. He ordered a final round: 

“One last drink, please.”