Jack Daniel’s Old No. 7 Review

Jack Daniel’s is one of the best-known whiskeys in the world. It’s on the shelf in almost every bar. It’s the one in the Jack and Coke. It’s the one your uncle drank.

So the interesting question isn’t whether people know it. It’s whether anyone takes it seriously as a drink in its own right.

What Tennessee whiskey means

Jack Daniel’s is made in Lynchburg, Tennessee, by Brown-Forman. It’s close to bourbon in recipe. The mash bill is mostly corn, with some rye and malted barley. The difference is the charcoal mellowing, where the new spirit is dripped through sugar maple charcoal before it goes into the barrel. Tennessee law now requires that step for the Tennessee whiskey label.

Old No. 7 is bottled at 40% in most markets, with no age statement. Nobody is entirely sure what the “No. 7” refers to. The distillery has told several stories over the years, and none has settled the question. One more fun fact: Lynchburg is in a dry county, so you can’t buy a bottle in the town where it’s made, apart from commemorative bottles at the distillery.

Judging a famous bottle fairly

It’s easy to be snobby about the most famous bottle on the shelf. It’s also easy to be uncritical about it. I’d rather look at it the way I would any other whiskey, and ask whether it earns the shelf space.

Trying it

I tried this neat, over ice and with Coke. I wanted to give it a fair go as a drink in its own right. It’s a bit better than its reputation suggests.

Nose: Banana, vanilla and caramel, with a faint charcoal note. It smells sweet and a little artificial, like banana candy. Not harsh.

Palate: Sweet and light, with caramel, a bit of oak and a touch of spice. It’s smooth enough, though thin at 40%. There’s not much depth, but it’s easy to drink and has a clean flavour.

Finish: Short, smooth and slightly dry. Not a lot lingers. It fades quickly.

Water, ice, Coke

It’s best over ice or with Coke, honestly. Neat, it’s fine, but it doesn’t have enough to hold my interest. With ice it becomes a very easy drink, and with Coke it does exactly what you’d expect.

This is the sort of whiskey that is designed to be mixed, and it does that job well. Whether it works neat is a more individual question.

Alternatives

Gentleman Jack is the smoother version. Single Barrel Select is a step up. George Dickel No. 12 is another Tennessee whiskey that is a bit drier. In bourbon, Maker’s Mark and Buffalo Trace are at a similar price and similar softness.

Value

I paid about $28 for a 750 ml bottle. It’s cheap and available almost anywhere, which is a big part of the appeal.

It’s priced at the cheap end of the established brands, and available almost anywhere. That convenience is a big part of the value.

Who it is for

It’s for people who want an easy whiskey for mixing or a casual drink. If you want depth or complexity, other bottles will do more.

Honest verdict

I’ll be honest. This isn’t a whiskey I’d choose to sip neat, and I’d say that about most people’s experience. It’s an easy mixing whiskey that happens to be OK on its own. That’s fine, and there’s nothing wrong with it.

The Coke test

With Coke it does exactly what you’d expect. The sweetness of the whiskey and the cola blend together, and it’s a drink that doesn’t need thinking about. I know some people sneer at that. I think it’s a perfectly good way to drink it.

If I had to choose a cheap whiskey to keep for guests, I’d probably pick Maker’s Mark or Buffalo Trace first. They give a bit more, for just a few dollars extra.

One last point. This is a whiskey with a huge amount of history and a huge number of fans, and that matters. It’s the bottle that got a lot of people into whiskey, and I’m grateful for that. I’m just not going to pretend it’s the best thing I’ve poured.

Verdict

Maybe. I’d buy it for mixing or for a casual drink. If I’m sipping neat, I’d choose Gentleman Jack or a Woodford.