Green Labels

[LeNell]

I had a customer last night mention that he was told by someone that bourbon with a green label means its young. I have never heard this. I know that Beam's Choice green label is 5 years and assume Evan green is 4. Is there really any real significance to a green label?

[cowdery]

A couple of things, although there certainly is no rule. The expression 'green whiskey' denotes whiskey straight from the still, with no aging. You can't get any younger than that. Also, even though none of the Jack Daniel's products have age statements, the green label has always been believed to be younger than the black label. Since other brands have copied Jack Daniel's, I'm sure the same relationship applies to some other brands as well. But leave it to a New Yorker to make a rule out of it.