Spirits

Jack Daniel's Tennessee Whiskey

Old No. 7 from Jack Daniel’s is a Tennessee whiskey from Lynchburg, Tennessee, made from 80% corn, 12% barley and 8% rye and bottled at 40% ABV. It meets the bourbon rules but trickles through a ten-foot bed of sugar maple charcoal on its way to the barrel, the Lincoln County Process, which Tennessee law has required of Tennessee whiskey since 2013. Three of our recipes use it, led by the Lynchburg Lemonade.

Quick Facts

ABV40% ABV

Legal categorySpiritTennessee whiskey under Tennessee law (2013): maple charcoal filtering

OriginLynchburg, Tennessee, United States

Flavour Strengthmedium

Our keeping timeIndefinitely unopened. Once opened, years if kept sealed and upright out of the light, though the aroma fades slowly.

Storage

Upright, away from light. Indefinite once opened.

Allergens

None of the 14 listed allergens. Distilled from grain, but distillation removes gluten, so it is not labelled as a gluten allergen. Recipes change: check the bottle.

The ingredient

About Jack Daniel's Tennessee Whiskey

Flavour Profile

Primary Flavours

VanillaBananaToasted Oak

Tasting Notes

Corn sweetness, vanilla and caramel from new charred oak, softer at the edges than many bourbons because of the charcoal filtering.

Bourbon rules, plus a charcoal filter

Jack Daniel’s is made in Lynchburg, Tennessee, from a mash of 80% corn, 12% barley and 8% rye, and aged in new charred oak, which would satisfy the American bourbon standard. Before the barrel, though, the new spirit seeps through ten feet of sugar maple charcoal. That step, the Lincoln County Process, is what Tennessee whiskey is known for, and a Tennessee law of 2013 made it a requirement for anything sold under the name.

How it lines up against bourbon

Tennessee whiskey against bourbon

Where made

Tennessee whiskey: Tennessee only
Bourbon: Anywhere in the United States

Grain

Tennessee whiskey: At least 51% corn (Jack Daniel’s uses 80%)
Bourbon: At least 51% corn

Before the barrel

Tennessee whiskey: Filtered through maple charcoal
Bourbon: Nothing required

Barrel

Tennessee whiskey: New charred oak
Bourbon: New charred oak

Set by

Tennessee whiskey: Tennessee law of 2013, on top of the federal rules
Bourbon: US federal standard

	Tennessee whiskey	Bourbon
Where made	Tennessee only	Anywhere in the United States
Grain	At least 51% corn (Jack Daniel’s uses 80%)	At least 51% corn
Before the barrel	Filtered through maple charcoal	Nothing required
Barrel	New charred oak	New charred oak
Set by	Tennessee law of 2013, on top of the federal rules	US federal standard

The man who taught the founder

The company now tells the story of Nathan “Nearest” Green, an enslaved man who, by its own account, taught Jack Daniel to make whiskey, and it says the Green family has worked at the distillery ever since. Jack Daniel’s has been owned by Brown-Forman since 1956. The label carries 1866 as the founding year, a date some historians dispute.

A long-drink whiskey

The charcoal leaves a soft, sweet whiskey that sits easily under lemonade and cola. The Lynchburg Lemonade and its raspberry version are built in the glass with lemon and triple sec, and Jack’s Godfather Highball pairs it with amaretto and cola. Any of them works with a mainstream bourbon.

Using it

Using Jack Daniel's Tennessee Whiskey

Usage

40ml under triple sec, lemon and lemonade in a Lynchburg Lemonade, with Chambord added for the Raspberry Lynchburg. In a Jack’s Godfather Highball, 30ml goes with amaretto and cola. It suits long, sweet drinks; any bourbon can stand in.

Pro Tip

Build a Lynchburg Lemonade with the lemonade cold from the fridge and pour it last, down the side of the glass. Stirred hard, the fizz goes flat before the glass reaches the table.

Top Tips

In a long drink with lemonade or cola, any mainstream bourbon at 40% is a fair swap.
Squeeze the lemon for a Lynchburg Lemonade the same day; bottled juice flattens it.
Old No. 7 is the bottling our recipes mean; other Jack Daniel’s releases differ in strength and filtering.
Store it like any whiskey: cap on, bottle standing, away from the window.

Possible Substitutions

Whiskey (Bourbon): A mainstream bourbon at 40%; a touch sharper, otherwise the same job

Production Method

A mash of 80% corn, 12% barley and 8% rye is fermented and distilled, then the new spirit seeps through ten feet of sugar maple charcoal before going into new charred oak barrels. Old No. 7 is bottled at 40% ABV in Britain.

Go further

More to explore

Common Questions

Is Jack Daniel’s a bourbon?

It meets the federal bourbon rules, with 80% corn and new charred oak, but it is sold as Tennessee whiskey. The difference is the Lincoln County Process: the new spirit runs through a deep bed of maple charcoal on its way to the barrel. Tennessee law has required that step for Tennessee whiskey since 2013.

Which grains go into Jack Daniel’s?

A mash of 80% corn, 12% barley and 8% rye, which the company says it has used since Jack Daniel chose it. The fermented mash is distilled, filtered through maple charcoal and then rests in new, charred barrels. It carries no gluten declaration, because distillation leaves the gluten behind.

What is the Lincoln County Process?

Filtering new whiskey through a thick bed of maple charcoal before it is barrelled. Jack Daniel’s says its spirit is mellowed drop by drop through ten feet of sugar maple charcoal. Tennessee’s 2013 law made the step a requirement for Tennessee whiskey, with one named distillery exempt.

How strong is Jack Daniel’s?

Old No. 7 is bottled at 40% ABV, or 80 proof, in Britain. Some other Jack Daniel’s releases are stronger, such as the bonded whiskey at 100 proof. Our units use 40%, so the 40ml in a Lynchburg Lemonade is 1.6 UK units before the triple sec.

What is in a Lynchburg Lemonade?

Jack Daniel’s, triple sec and lemon juice, lengthened with lemonade. Ours puts 40ml of whiskey with 20ml each of triple sec and lemon in an ice-filled collins glass, then adds 90ml of fizzy lemonade, a lemon wheel and a cherry. The drink is named after the whiskey’s home town.

Who was Nearest Green?

Nathan “Nearest” Green was an enslaved man who, by Jack Daniel’s own account, taught Jack Daniel to make whiskey. The company now tells his story, and says a member of the Green family has worked at the distillery in every generation since. A 2016 newspaper article brought his role wider attention.

From the Guides

Tennessee whiskey in a cocktail What is whisky? The rules behind each style

Make something

Made with Jack Daniel's Tennessee Whiskey

Featured In These Cocktails

Lynchburg Lemonade Jack’s Godfather Highball Raspberry Lynchburg

Updated 12 October 2026

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