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JD Black Vs. Green


Buffalo Bill
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At one point it used to be proof and age. These days I believe the proof is the same. We don't have the green around here so I'm not so sure.

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If it's not proof, it must be the age or perhaps barrel location in the warehouse.

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we have it here in PA....it's only $2 cheaper i think...must be the age...but i can't imagine it being worth $19.99!...hey, if tastes MORE like bananas, then, heck, i'll try it.:rolleyes:

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Carb cleaner and paint thinner :D

The green is younger. My guess would be 2-4 years and the black would be 4-8 or so... Just a guess...

Do they have to put age statements on Tennessee Whiskey if it is below 4 years?

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I always understood the Green Label to simply be stock that didn't make the cut to become Black Label. No barrel location or age difference, at least not an intentional one. But then again, barrels that are a bit younger than average may be rejected at a higher rate and make their way into Green Label.

Like DrinkyBanjo, I haven't seen any Green Label for a while, though.

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Once upon a dram, Green was 86 proof and 4 years old while Black was 90 proof and somewhere between 5 and 6. Then Black got lowered to 86 and Green to 80. Today both are 80 proof and I have no idea what the age difference between the two are now.

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Guys, what's the true difference between JD Black & Green label? BB

That's a great question! To some there is no difference at all except maybe price. I have been told it's a matter of taste for limited markets. Age, proof(previously), taste profile are the key discriminators. Green label tends to originate from the center of lower floors in certain warehouses.

We still get green label here in north Alabama but usually in short spurts followed by long dry spells. The stores quickly sell all their stock. That tells me that there is not a constant supply but it hasn't been shut off yet. And, folks around here are drinking it when they can get it.

Somebody out there knows more, stay tuned...

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wow....so folks are grabbing it up even though the black label is the marketing icon that has blinded too many as it is!?

there's a green label Beam, too...right?

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The Green like the Black and every other Jack product are the same whisky. The differences are warehouse level and selection, mostly. The Black and SB come from the top floors, while Gentleman and Green come from the lower floors. I believe the Black and Green are the same age, but as everyone knows...it's not years that ages bourbon...it's cycles in and out of the wood. The top floors cycle faster than the lower floors. So, more barrel influence. The extra difference with Gentleman...is, that they filter it twice through the vat of charcoal sugar maple.

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wow....so folks are grabbing it up even though the black label is the marketing icon that has blinded too many as it is!?

there's a green label Beam, too...right?

The "standard" Beam is a 4 year old white label.

Next comes "Beam's Choice", a 5 year old with a green label.

Then comes a 7 year old Beam, also with a white label.

Finally comes Jim Beam Black, 8 years old with a black (what else? :P) label.

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I'm not citing any sources here, just repeating what I've heard.

From what I understand, Green Label does not have a narrow target profile: it can be made from any barrels that don't contribute to the profile in a particular batch of Black Label. Thus, Green Label can be more capricious, sometimes being more rough and sometimes being quite good, even better, than Black Label.

In college, my friends from TN said that people use Green Label for mixing, Black Label for sipping.

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Also, remember that before the SB and Gent came out...all those barrels went either into Black or Green. I'm sure those two labels had some influence on the flavor profiles of the Black and Green.

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I recently bought a bottle of the Green to compare with the Black. To me the Green was drier and a little rougher than the Black.

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Probably the best way to put it is that they are different profiles and the Green is a little less mature than the Black.

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Thanks guys. Great input here all the way around.... The New Hampshire Liquor Commission (stores) are loaded with Green Label for $16.49 750ml. Often wondered if it would be worth the chance, since I'm a JDSB fan. Can't find anything other than new bottles since the holiday rush. Found an R-15 from 1-08-08 that I'm looking forward to trying. Can't find any R-19's that everyone was raving about. The R-30 is very sweet, actually the sweetest SB I've had to date. Found an R-22. And now a lot of new L-Series, lighter in color.

If anyone has tasted any of the newer bottles fill me in on tasting notes.

Hey Mozilla: The top floors cycle faster than the lower floors etc? Thanks for the details, that's something I didn't know - making perfect sense. BB

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A few years ago, Jack Green enjoyed a brief but smoking cachet in New York City. No one ever quite knew why, but somehow it spread around that it was something special and hard to get. You know New Yorkers. The quickest way to make them want something is to tell them they can't have it.

It didn't last.

The best whiskey from Lynchburg remains the Single Barrel/Silver Select expression.

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Also, remember that before the SB and Gent came out...all those barrels went either into Black or Green. I'm sure those two labels had some influence on the flavor profiles of the Black and Green.

Some went into the Lem Motlow, too.

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  • 2 weeks later...
The best whiskey from Lynchburg remains the Single Barrel/Silver Select expression.

Scathing comment!!!! You dont pull your punches!

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....In college, my friends from TN said that people use Green Label for mixing, Black Label for sipping.

i am still (stupidly?) curious about the green. i guess i just want to know. i have cats. but i don't have 9 lives.

anyways, JD black is as inconsistent as i am...sometimes it is sippable (it was on my hike yesterday!)....but give it TOO much attention...and it's just got a sour note that is best only if sugar coated in a glass half-filled with coke. or in my case, cherry coke (and yes, not a cocktail person, but it was tasty...to me, it was just an amped up cherry coke, not a dumb-&-dumber'd down JD...:lol: )

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  • 3 weeks later...
i am still (stupidly?) curious about the green. i guess i just want to know. i have cats. but i don't have 9 lives.

Haaaaaa. Bingo! BB

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  • 2 months later...

When Black went down to 80 proof I wrote JD to ask them what the difference is now and their reply was that Black was "specially selected." However, when I asked them what the criteria was that was a secret.

I'm pretty sure that their criteria has to be placement since there is no way they can be sampling all the different barrels.

Dickel is the way to go if you want Tennessee whiskey. 90 proof, 12 yo.

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