Jack Daniel’s whiskey bills itself as a Tennessee whiskey, but it meets all of the requirements of being a bourbon. As far as its creation process goes, it is the same as a bourbon, with the addition of an extra step of “mellowing” the spirit, using sugar maple charcoal filtering, before distilling it.
This charcoal filtering is said to be what gives the whiskey its unique taste, but another important factor is the barrel. Jack Daniel’s is aged in oak barrels for anywhere between four and seven years. These barrels give the spirit its color and are also essential for the taste. The barrels are never reused by the company, but many go on to flavor other types of liquor, such as rum.
Hailing from Lynchburg, Tennessee, Jack Daniel’s is created in a county where the sale of alcohol is prohibited, but its distillation is allowed. It is one of the most popular whiskies from the United States, and its second-largest market is said to be Europe. Sales in this region have been hurt by the 2018 international tariffs between the US and EU.
While in the past US whiskies prided themselves in their high proof, the tendency has been for most hard liquors to follow the lead of vodka and settle on 80 proof. This is mainly due to popularity and tax benefits of lower proofs. Jack Daniel’s last reduction was from 86 to 80 in 2003, although it had been stronger in the past.
The distillers at the Jack Daniel’s Distillery have stated that taste is more important to them than ageing. It should thus come of no surprise that this US-made whiskey tends to be more affordable than other types of whiskeys, especially Scottish and Irish variants that have strict ageing requirements.
Here is the price list for the different products currently offered by the distillery:
| Type | Size | Price | Proof |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jack Daniel’s Old No. 7 Tennessee | 750ml | $17.99 – $24.99 | 80 |
| 1L | $29.99 – $38.99 | 80 | |
| 1.75L | $34.99 – $52.99 | 80 | |
| Jack Daniels Single Barrel Select | 750ml | $46.99 – $49.99 | 94 |
| Jack Daniels Single Barrel Barrel Proof | 750ml | $59.99 – $69.99 | 125 |
| Jack Daniels Single Barrel Rye | 750ml | $46.99 – $54.99 | 94 |
| Jack Daniels Gentleman Jack | 750ml | $21.99 – $29.99 | 80 |
| Jack Daniels Tennessee Honey | 750ml | $18.99 – $21.99 | 70 |
| Jack Daniels Tennessee Fire | 750ml | $18.99 – $21.99 | 70 |
One 750 mL bottle of the distillery’s standard offering, Old No. 7 Tennessee, will cost you somewhere in the neighborhood of $20.00. This compares favorably to its nearest competitors on the national and international scale – bourbons. For the same quantity and proof,bourbons tend to surpass the $30.00 mark.
It’s not a given, though. For example, take Evan William’s Bourbon, which is one of the best-selling of this type of drink. A 750 mL bottle will cost about $13.00, which is comparable in price to cheap vodkas as far as spirits go.
As for Tennessee Whiskey itself, there are not many players on the market. Aside from Jack Daniel’s, the biggest name in the field is George Dickel, which is owned by Diageo. This label is similar in taste but higher in proof, which may account for the higher price tag – a 750 mL bottle of George Dickel tends to go for about $30.00.
Although there were very few producers of this type of drink until recently, the popularity of Jack has led to an explosion in brands in recent years. Most of these are more expensive than Jack. For example, Benjamin Prichard’s standard offering goes for about $40.00 on average. The marketing may throw people off on this, as many of these drinks market themselves as bourbons, although the line between Tennessee Whiskey and bourbon is thin.
Jack Daniel’s sells “single barrel” varieties that are over twice as expensive as Old No. 7, at around $40 – $50 a 750 mL bottle. Agan, some of this may be due to the fact that these have a higher proof – typically over 90.
This drink would be enjoyed by people who like a stronger taste without so much sweetness. It is also worth noting that it is closer to what would be the original high-proof version of Jack Daniel’s, so fans of alcohol history might enjoy it to immerse themselves in the alcohol-consumption habits of centuries past.
Jack Daniels has 3 canned cocktails on the market, a classic Jack and Coke,
Tennessee Honey and Tennessee Fire are the flavored mixes offered for this whiskey. While it is a far cry from the dozens of flavors offered by the vodka companies, this is relatively diverse for a whiskey company. In general, whiskeys only offer variants of their standard product in terms of ageing and combinations from different barrels.
The price for Honey and Fire are not much different from that of the standard Jack Daniel’s. At a few dollars less, either of them will cost you about $20.00 on average. If you fancy something even sweeter than old No. 7, you will probably enjoy this offering. However, purists will surely prefer the stronger taste of the higher proof vodkas.
Of course, Jack and Coke is the most famous drink involving Jack Daniel’s and one of the most popular cocktails throughout the United States. This drink was once known as Bourbon and Coke, but now the Jack Daniel’s name has taken it over completely.
That is, until the death of famous musician Lemmy. In 2016, after the death of this musician, certain outlets have begun to refer to this drink as “The Lemmy” because of his reported love for the drink.
Simply combine the following ingredients in a Collins Glass with a generous amount of ice:
this is a variation on the whiskey sour, with the only exception being that it uses this Tennessee whiskey instead of the typical Scotch. As with most citrus-based cocktails, the citrus fruits are effective in masking the strong alcoholic taste. The addition of the egg gives the drink a creamier texture.
Shake the following ingredients and mix them into an old-fashioned glass:
