Once again, I was opening a bottle of Jack Daniels fine Kentucky bourbon,
and something occured to me. I’m a drunk. No, what I was actually wondering
about was the awards they say they have won on the side of the bottle. The
awards stretch back to 1904 and the most recent is 1981. What are these
awards? Who else competes? Why hasn’t Jack Daniels won since 1981?
Thanks
Dodge
I don’t know about the awards but I do know that Jack Daniels is not fine Kentucky bourbon. It is fine Tennessee sippin’ whiskey.
I’m not sure 'bout the awards, but what I want to know is what is the green lable bottle I heard about, and why can’t I find it in New York State?
Yeah, I’m sorry about that, it’s TN Sour Mash…I should have looked at the bottle before I posted, I’m sorry.
Dodge
RESOL, as far as I know, the only difference is that the green label 80 proof and the black label 86 proof.
That’s it, good, now I’ll never look for it again! Lower proof, bah
Um, isn’t black label 96 proof? I’m not sure here, but I think the difference between green label and black label is more than 3%.
I’ve had the green label, it tastes pretty different from the black.
Since the actual years are 1904, 1905, 1914, 1954 and 1981, I would assume these competitions are infrequent enough, and contain enough competitors to make first place a rare occasion for any distiller. I’m SURE some marketing guy in the company is getting worried though, and they’re debating whether to take the list off the side of the bottle if they don’t pull out another first place soon. And if he REALLY has his way, he’ll create a contest they can win …
The awards seem to correlate with various international expositions that have been held. The 1904 award was from the famous 1904 exposition in St. Louis (I believe this is where the ice cream cone was invented), and was recieved by Jack Daniel himself. Given the number of gold medals and such displayed on other stuff, I’m guessing that everyone understands you can’t win all the time.
RESOL:
I am a green label fan and previously was unable to find it in NYS. I asked my local liquor store dude and he said the stuff is illegal in NY. (WTF? He said same goes for Green Label Beam.) I don’t know if I believe him, but I pay him to bring the stuff into the state for me. It’s worth every penny. Bourbon sours just don’t taste the same without green label.
I got my figures from
http://www.state.vt.us/dlc/priceguide/whiskey.html#026876
Most of the flavor is in the non-alcohol part, which is why some people (including me) prefer the lower-proof version.
The fine folks at Jack Daniels also have a spiffy website,
http://www.jackdaniels.com
It only briefly mentions the medals, and I quote …
“Remaining true to Jack Daniel’s original recipe and charcoal-mellowed character means folks today enjoy the same sipping whiskey awarded seven international gold medals, including the one collected by Mr. Jack Daniel himself in 1904 at the St. Louis Exposition and World’s Fair. It was honored then as “the world’s best whiskey.” The black and white label on Jack Daniel’s Old No. 7 is much like the whiskey itself in that it has not changed since Jack Daniel registered his distillery in 1866.”
The site is pretty interesting, although I would not recommend looking at it if you are in your office because it makes the idea of running out and getting some JD extremely tempting (even at 10:30 AM).
Is it true that its made in a dry county?
The difference between the green and black labels is this:
Green label - aged 5 years
Black Label - aged 7 years
The only place I have bought green label is on military bases, so Dodge if you have any friends in the military ask them to look for it at their PX.
Anyone try Gentleman Jack? I love the stuff. Smooth as silk, but a bit pricey. I’d like to try the Single Barrel if anyone can recommend it.
Cheers-
-T
Actually, I serve in the US Air Force here at Offutt AFB, and I do have access to both the green and black labels. But thanks for your help, anyway, to all of you.
Dodge