Jack Daniel’s whiskeys are very popular, and I doubt that there’s a single bar in the world in which you won’t find one or two of their offerings. Which is why every (responsible) alcohol drinking person is destined to one day come across a Jack Daniel’s whiskey or two and will want to know exactly what their alcohol content is. Here’s what you need to know.
The alcohol content / ABV of the most common Jack Daniel’s whiskeys are between 40% – 70%ABV. Jack Daniel’s whiskey liqueurs have slightly less alcohol and are only 35% ABV. The Jack Daniel’s whiskey with the highest alcohol content is from their Limited Edition and can be as much as 74.15%ABV.
Of course, different Jack Daniel’s whiskeys will have different ABVs, as will different Jack Daniel’s mixed drinks and cocktails, so the rest of this article will look into this in more detail.
The Alcohol Content of Each Jack Daniel’s Whiskey
You don’t actually need to know the ABV of every Jack Daniel’s whiskey because most of them are Limited or Special Editions, where you’d be more focused on the price than on the alcohol content.
What you do need to know is the alcohol content of the main Jack Daniel’s whiskeys, and they appear in the table below:
| Whiskey | ABV |
|---|---|
| Jack Daniel’s Old No. 7 | 40% |
| Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Rye | 45% |
| Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Honey | 35% |
| Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Fire | 35% |
| Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Apple | 35% |
| Jack Daniel’s Gentleman Jack | 40% |
| Jack Daniel’s Sinatra Select | 45% |
| Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel Select | 47% & 45% |
| Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel Rye | 45% |
| Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel Barrel Proof | 62.5% – 70% |
As you can see, Jack Daniel’s Old No.7 – which is their standard expression, has a very standard for whiskey 40%ABV. It’s standard because it’s one of the most common alcohol strengths for whiskey and it’s common because it’s the legal minimum ABV for all whiskeys.
Although a higher alcohol content would give Jack Daniel’s Old No.7 more intense and concentrated flavors (because alcohol carries flavor compounds), it would also make it a more complex and expensive whiskey that would be more suitable as a sipping whiskey for experienced whiskey drinkers.
A lower ABV makes Jack Daniel’s Old No. 7 easy to drink even for the casual whiskey drinker, and pleasant enough to blend well with the other ingredients in a mixed drink or go down smoothly in a shot. It also helps keep its price down. That way it appeals to a wider audience and successfully so, as it’s the Old No 7. which is the main reason why Jack Daniel’s whiskey is so popular.
This will also be true for the Jack Daniel’s whiskey liqueurs – which are not technically whiskeys because they’re only 35%ABV and they contain caramel coloring. Since they’re focused on one flavor in particular, honey, cinnamon or apple, it doesn’t make sense for them to have a higher ABV.
On the other hand, the Jack Daniel’s whiskeys that are more flavor focused do have higher ABVs. The Sinatra Select is aged in Jack Daniel’s unique ‘Sinatra Barrels’ that have deep groves carved into their staves so that the whiskey has more exposure to the oak and can acquire more flavors. Diluting this expression to 40% would ruin all that.
Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel Whiskeys are chosen for their more intense flavors, as well as their unique flavors – as every barrel produces a slightly different tasting whiskey. Since the whole point of single barrel whiskey is to focus on flavor and uniqueness, it’s understandable that they have a 45% or 47%ABV to bring them out.
Jack Daniel’s Barrel Proof Whiskeys (that are bottled straight from the barrel at its full proof and not diluted) focus on maximum flavor, which is why they have such high alcohol content levels. Being single barrel as well as cask strength so undiluted, means that bottles from different barrels will have different ABVs.
The Alcohol Content of Jack and Coke
As mentioned above, Jack Daniel’s is often mixed with other drinks for example:
- Apple juice
- Lemonade
- Soda water
And most famously coca cola.
Obviously, when Jack Daniel’s is mixed with another drink the dilution will cause it to have a lower ABV than before. Unless the other drink contains more alcohol than the Jack Daniel’s, in which case its ABV would be increased.
If you want to know the precise ABV of say, Jack and Coke, then you’ll need to find out how much Jack Daniel’s and how much coca cola was used to make it. You’ll also need to find out which Jack Daniel’s was used.
To make things easy, I’ve worked out the ABV of Jack & Coke for three common ratios used to make it. I’m also assuming that the Jack is Jack Daniel’s Old No. 7 at 40%ABV. Of course, these numbers are approximate as the parts may not be poured exactly and other factors such as the amount of ice used were not factored into the calculation.
| Ratio | ABV |
|---|---|
| 1 part Jack Daniel’s & 2 parts Coco-Cola | 13.33% |
| 1 part Jack Daniel’s & 3 parts Coco-Cola | 10% |
| 1 part Jack Daniel’s & 5 parts Coco-Cola | 6.66% |
Since many of the other drinks used as mixers for Jack Daniel’s are often added at one of these ratios, this table will let you know the ABV of those drinks too.
However, bear in mind that although Jack and Coke has a far lower ABV than say a shot of Jack Daniel’s, you’re not drinking less alcohol. A lower ABV can mean less alcohol, but it doesn’t have to. For example, a shot of Jack Daniel’s Old No. 7 (40%ABV) does have less alcohol than a shot of Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Rye (45%ABV) and drinking the former will mean drinking less alcohol.
On the other hand, when drinking Jack and Coke you’re still consuming about the same amount of alcohol as you would when drinking Jack Daniel’s neat or in a shot. That’s because when drinking Jack and Coke you’re simply adding coca cola to the (approximately) same amount of Jack Daniel’s you would drink neat or in a shot. With more liquid in your drink, you have indeed diluted it and reduced the ABV, but you’re still drinking the same amount of alcohol.
The Alcohol Content of Jack Daniel’s Cocktails
Believe it or not, there are ready-made Jack Daniel’s cocktails (made by Jack Daniel’s), three of which come in a can and eight of which come in a bottle. That way you don’t have to make the cocktail yourself. The alcohol content of these cocktails is relatively low as you can see from the following tables.
The alcohol content of the three Jack Daniel’s canned cocktails are:
| ABV | |
|---|---|
| Whiskey & Cola | 7% |
| Apple Fizz | 7% |
| Honey Lemonade | 7% |
The alcohol content of the eight Jack Daniel’s Country Cocktails are:
| ABV | |
|---|---|
| Jack Daniel’s Watermelon Punch | 4.8% |
| Jack Daniel’s Black Jack Cola | 4.8% |
| Jack Daniel’s Lynchburg Lemonade | 4.8% |
| Jack Daniel’s Southern Citrus | 4.8% |
| Jack Daniel’s Southern Peach | 4.8% |
| Jack Daniel’s Downhome Punch | 4.8% |
| Jack Daniel’s Berry Punch | 4.8% |
| Jack Daniel’s Cherry Limeade | 4.8% |
The Strongest Jack Daniel’s Whiskey
An article about the alcohol content of Jack Daniel’s wouldn’t be complete without mentioning the strongest Jack Daniel’s whiskey ever made, which is the Single Barrel Special Release Coy Hill High Proof Whiskey.
It’s bottled at cask strength, with an eye-watering alcohol content level of between 68.7% to 74.15%ABV (137.4 to 148.3 proof).
