Green Label Vs Black Label Jack Daniels
Jack Daniels Green Label Green Label has always been a faction classic among Jack Daniel fans and is particularly popular with hunters. The green Label, a younger, lighter version of the original whiskey, contains a sample of 80 proof (40% ABV) and is transferred from old. Previously, the famous black-label brand (the better-quality, higher-priced product) had been 86 proof, where legal, the lower-end green label 80 proof; these marked reductions from the previous practice until recent years of bottling the black-label product at 90 proof and the green-label product at 86. Innovation Rules. Is also confusing with Jack Daniel’s label. But wait, there’s more. Jack Daniels alleges that Lonehand’s marketing strategy employs the age-old.
Proof: 80°
Aged: No age statement
I have several jack daniels whisky bottles from the 1970's that I would like to find out the values of. I have attached a picture of the bottles. From left to right: 1976 old no.7 black label 90 proof sealed (plastic seal missing) 1 quart bottle, 1973 old.
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Popular belief has it that Jack Daniel’s was originally sold with a green label at a lower age, the black label only launched after Jack’s death in 1911 when Lem Motlow brought out an older aged (4 years) whiskey with a black label as a mark of respect. A touching story but this is not the case.
Today, the little seen, Green Label is aged a similar period to its ubiquitous black sibling. However, the casks used to make Green Label are drawn exclusively from ground floor the rack houses where there is less variation in temperature, so a less pronounced ageing affect.
In times gone by, Black Label was bottled for sale in the U.S. at 45% alc./vol. and the Green Label was bottled at a lower strength, latterly 40 alc./vol.. Now Black Label is now also 40% alc./vol. so the alcohol strength distinction between the two labels has effectively vanished. However, due to being drawn from barrels in the bottom of the warehouse, Green Label remains a ‘value bottling’ of Jack Daniel’s and is only sold in in around half of U.S. sates. Hence, folk in overseas markets paying a premium for bottles of Green Label due to their perceived rarity should instead throw their money our way.
Review and Tasting
Sampled on 21/07/2012
Aroma:
Buttered corn and nutty, smoky notes (roast chestnuts) with faint notes of wax and shoe polish.
Taste:
Starts hot with chargrilled buttered corn becoming more spicy (sandalwood and cinnamon) as the palate develops.
Aftertaste:
Dry finish with peppery spice and red bell pepper notes. The polar opposite to Gentleman Jack.
What is almost common knowledge about Jack Daniel’s is that it is a bourbon whiskey; this is somewhat true, but it is actually more of a Tennessee whiskey. Little did we know, with just an extra step in the process, it changes entirely the type of a whiskey.
- 1 Definitions
Definitions
Jack Daniel’s
One of the top selling whiskeys in the world, Jack Daniel’s is a brand of Tennessee whiskey that was founded by Jasper Newton, “Jack Daniel’s” himself. While the brand label states “Est. & Reg. in 1866”, it wasn’t actually established until 1875. It is produced in the city of Lynchburg, Tennessee by Jack Daniel Distillery, and has been owned by one of the largest American-owned companies in spirits and wine business, the Brown-Forman Corporation since 1956.
Like all other whiskeys, Jack Daniel’s goes through the same process, and is made from corn, malted barley, and rye. There is however one extra step known as the Lincoln Country Process that makes it different from all other whiskeys. It is a step where the whiskey is filtered through charcoal chips before going into the casks for aging. With this extra step, the company argues that the product is different from bourbon. However, under the terms of the North American Free Trade Agreement and Canadian Law, Tennessee whiskey is required to be a ‘straight bourbon whiskey’.
Different Labels
- Old No. 7 – Also known as Black Label, at 40% ABV (Alcohol by Volume).
- Gentleman Jack – Charcoal filtered twice, at 40% ABV.
- Single Barrel – Sourced from a single barrel, at 40% ABV.
- Tennessee Honey – Honey liqueur blended with less than 20% whiskey, at 35% ABV.
- Tennessee Fire – Cinnamon Liqueur blended with less than 20% whiskey, at 35% ABV.
- Green Label – Lighter-bodied bottling of Old No. 7, at 40% ABV.
- Silver Select – For export only, at 50% ABV.
- Winter Jack – Seasonal blends of apple cider and spices, at 15% ABV.
- No. 27 Gold – Limited release, at 40% ABV.
- Sinatra Select – Tribute to Mr. Frank Sinatra, at 45% ABV.
- Sinatra Century – A limited edition honoring the 100th birthday of Frank Sinatra, at 50% ABV.
- Single Barrel Proof – Can have an ABV as high as 62.6% to 70%.
Bourbon
On a par with Jack Daniel’s, Bourbon is also one of the top selling whiskeys in the world that is made primarily from corn. The term Bourbon can be traced way back to the 1820s, and there is a dispute as to whether it was derived from Bourbon County in Kentucky or Bourbon Street in New Orleans. While a bourbon can be made anywhere in the United States, it is strongly associated with the southern part region of the U.S., Kentucky in particular.
What makes bourbon, bourbon, is that it is exclusively made in the United States. Aside from that, it also has to comply with regulations such as being made from a grain mixture that is at least 51% corn, being aged in new and charred oak barrels, being distilled to no more than 80% ABV, and being bottled at 40% ABV or more.
Jack Daniel’s vs Bourbon
What’s the difference between Jack Daniel’s and Bourbon? While both are in fact whiskeys, they do have some differences that distinguish them. Jack Daniel’s can be called a bourbon in some ways; it does have that extra step called the ‘Lincoln Country Process’ that changes it from what a bourbon should be, and is therefore known as a Tennessee Whiskey instead. Also, while a Jack Daniel’s can go from 15% up to 70% alcohol content, bourbon can go from 40% and up to 80%. One other, but important difference between the two, is that Jack Daniel’s is a whiskey brand, while bourbon is a type of American whiskey.
Comparison Chart
Jack Daniels Green Label Cost
| Jack Daniel’s | Bourbon |
| Requires an extra step called ‘Lincoln Country Process’ | Does not have an extra step |
| Made from corn, malted barley, and rye | Made from at least 51% corn |
| Can go from 15% to 70% ABV | Can go from 40% to 80% ABV |
| Made and produced in the United States | Made and produced in the United States |