Jack Daniel’s is the best selling American whiskey in the world. But it’s much more than that. It’s the brand that put American whiskey on the map and the one that boosted the entire category over the years.
The most popular label from Jack Daniel’s distillery though, the iconic Old No. 7, holds a question that even the company’s Master Distillers don’t know the answer to.
This mystery has to do with the number “7”. (the article continues after the ad)
Nobody knows for sure what Old No. 7 means and why that specific number was chosen. The most obvious answer, being that it represents the age of the whiskey (the time it matures in the barrels), is not true as the company doesn’t provide the ageing of the whiskey. According to the Jack Daniel’s website, “To this day, our whiskey is only deemed ready for bottling when it tastes ready. Because a date on a calendar can’t tell you all the things a sip can. We rely on our team of accomplished whiskey tasters to sample each and every barrel, looking for tell-tale subtleties of flavor and character that tell them when a whiskey is ready for bottling.”
Several theories have emerged over the years, including:
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- The alleged Number 7 train that carried the barrels across the land
- Jack Daniel’s lucky number
- There were seven women in Jack Daniel’s life
The truth is only Jack Daniel knows the true meaning of Old No. 7 and we won’t be hearing from him anytime soon. Even Jeff Arnett, the brand’s seventh and current Master Distiller, admitted to Business Insider that he doesn’t know why the brand was called Old No. 7: “There’s a lot of I guess mystery and myth that has formed around it whether it was a lucky number or whether it was a recipe number.”
Jack took the secret to his grave and chances are that the mystery will remain for ever. But hey, at least that’s a cool “useless info” to share with your friends the next time you enjoy a glass (or two) of Old No. 7.
If you like what you read, then you will definitely love this one: The Reason Why Jack Daniel’s Is Sold In Square Bottles
Photo: Max Pixel
Photoshop: I’m A Useless Info Junkie
Sources: There’s a giant mystery on every label of Jack Daniel’s Old No. 7 | Jack Daniel’s “Label Story”: Old No. 7 | IT’S READY WHEN IT’S READY