Jack Daniels Green

[squire]

Is the Jack Daniels green label is available in your market area?

Squire

[TNbourbon]

Is the Jack Daniels green label is available in your market area?

Squire

Yes, it is -- but, then, I'm about 50 miles from the distillery itself.

The whiskey used in the green-label comprises 1/7 of the JD production -- that whiskey aged on the first floors only of the 7-story warehouses, which never matures enough to match the taste profile desired for the #7 black-label. (The 7th floors constitute 'stock' for the single-barrels and other export-only brands).

Thus, only 16%-17% of standard production goes into the green-label. That's why it is only distributed into 6-8 marketing areas.

Because of its seeming 'rarity' and occasional market shifts, the rumor goes around almost continuously that the green-label is being discontinued. However, unless they find another use for that immature whiskey, it can't ever be.

[squire]

Thanks Tim,I knew about the lower racks but did not know the % of production. I was asked to pick up a bottle for an old family friend ( why does everybody always select me for such missions?) and Green was out of stock in the two places I stopped. Just wondered if they'd lowered the proof to 70 and started shipping it overseas or something.

Regards,

Squire

[TNbourbon]

Thanks Tim,I knew about the lower racks but did not know the % of production. I was asked to pick up a bottle for an old family friend ( why does everybody always select me for such missions?) and Green was out of stock in the two places I stopped. Just wondered if they'd lowered the proof to 70 and started shipping it overseas or something.

Regards,

Squire

Still 80 proof, still available domestically, within its limits. If it were to fall under 80 proof, of course, they'd have to label it 'diluted', or somesuch.

[squire]

Yea, I was referring to the overseas market where I understand whiskey can be sold at 70 proof without using the term diluted.

Squire

[craigthom]

However, unless they find another use for that immature whiskey, it can't ever be.

THey could always bring back the Lem Motlow, with the advantage of only having to age it a year.

[Thesh]

However, unless they find another use for that immature whiskey, it can't ever be.

I would be shocked to find out that is not what they use in their "Country Cocktails." Nothing hides a poor whiskey better than a lot of sugar and artificial flavoring.

[ILLfarmboy]

I would be shocked to find out that is not what they use in their "Country Cocktails." Nothing hides a poor whiskey better than a lot of sugar and artificial flavoring.

There's actually whiskey in them? I thought they were one of those malt beverages.

I need to quit using the term alco-pops. That word plays into the hands of the neo-prohibitionists.

[craigthom]

They are according to the Web site. Just another reason not to believe tours: when I took the JD tour last Sunday our guide said the country cocktails were bottled in St. Louis, which I believe, but he also said they sent the product from Lynchburg to there, which I do not believe.

Apparently the country cocktails differ from most of the others, though, in that AB makes them instead of Miller. Assuming he was telling the truth about St. Louis.

[squire]

Frankly, I wish they would bring the Lem Motlow brand back. I had a chance to sample this back in the late 60s. No, it wasn't first rate whiskey but the label is way cool.

Squire

[squire]

And the label has more true history than a good bit of what is being sold today.

Squire

[TNbourbon]

I would be shocked to find out that is not what they use in their "Country Cocktails." Nothing hides a poor whiskey better than a lot of sugar and artificial flavoring.

There's actually whiskey in them? I thought they were one of those malt beverages...

There used to be two varieties, marketed side-by-side. For example, the liquor store where I sometimes work offered the version containing spirits, while the Kroger next door offered the malt-beverage version. Neither place could legally sell the other here in Tennessee.

Apparently, the malt-beverage version won out -- JD discontinued the spirit version a year or so ago. JD Country Cocktails contain no whiskey, or even GNS.

[cowdery]

Apparently, the malt-beverage version won out -- JD discontinued the spirit version a year or so ago. JD Country Cocktails contain no whiskey, or even GNS.

Take a look at this. Apparently, they are discontinuing the whiskey-based line in favor of the flavored malt beverages. The old spirits ones were in four-packs of 8-oz. bottles while the malt-based ones are in six-packs of 12-oz. bottles. Their original malt was the Jack Daniel's Hard Cola, launched in 2002, which was discontinued. About two years ago they reformulated their Black Jack Cola, Lynchburg Lemonade and Down Home Punch as malt beverages, to create a line, and gave them the Country Cocktails name, which had been the name of the spirits line. Maybe they're still making the spirits ones too, but it looks like they're putting the marketed emphasis on the malt ones and not trying to distinguish between them, which leads me to believe the whiskey-based ones will go away. On the BF corporate web site, for example, they acknowledge the malt ones, but not the whiskey ones.

Alternative terms to "alcopop" (which is a term of derision coined by neo-prohibitionists) are flavored malt beverage or malternatives. RTD, for "ready-to-drink," is a term that covers both types.

[cowdery]

Excuse me, they were four packs of 200 ml bottles, being spirits products. I also mis-read Tim's post. He notes that the whiskey ones are gone, as they indeed seem to be.

Very interesting.

By all accounts, the original Jack Daniel's Hard Cola bombed and, all along, they were making the cocktails. Now they're going back to the malts and killing the cocktails. I guess they fear having both confuses people and the malts have more market potential.