What Proof Is Jack Daniel's Single Barrel Whiskey?

When it comes to hard liquor, the name of the game is its proof. Proof is a way to describe the strength of a bottle of alcohol. Calculating proof is easy, simply double the alcohol by volume (ABV) of the liquor  in question. So, if you have a whiskey that's 50% ABV, that means it's 100 proof. Jack Daniel's flagship whiskey, known as Old No. 7 or simply Black Label, is 80 proof which is on the lower end for whiskey. But Jack Daniel's stronger bottles are nothing to scoff at. 

Jack Daniel's Single Barrel Barrel Proof Whiskey blows many other whiskeys out of the water, as its proof falls anywhere between 125 and 140, meaning the drink is roughly 60% to 70% alcohol. Considering that a proof of 120 and above is considered to be quite high, Jack Daniel's Single Barrel Barrel Proof Whiskey easily lands in the high proof whiskey category. But most whiskeys have a consistent proof point, so why does this single barrel whiskey have a range?

As whiskey matures in the barrel, it's ABV rises as the water inside evaporates at a faster rate than the alcohol does (there are, of course, exceptions). The exact proof point will vary from barrel to barrel even if they're from the same batch since the rate of evaporation isn't uniform. There are several factors that can influence the rate of evaporation for a barrel including where in the warehouse the barrel is stored and what time of year it is. 

Unlike other whiskey products, Jack Daniel's Single Barrel Barrel Proof Whiskey doesn't get blended or diluted, hence the title of single barrel barrel proof. A single barrel whiskey is a whiskey that's been poured from one singular barrel. Barrel proof means no water has been added to bring the proof point back down. 

While it makes for bold and unique flavors, it also means there's a lack of consistency in the product, hence the proof range. So, unlike blended whiskey — which can be balanced to have one single proof — single barrel barrel proof whiskeys can't achieve the same exact proof between bottles.

Despite the relative strength of Jack Daniel's Single Barrel Barrel Proof Whiskey compared to the brand's flagship bottle of whiskey, it doesn't quite stack up against the absolute strongest bottles of alcohol available for consumption. For example, Everclear, the brand known for providing one of the strongest liquors in the United States, sits at a whopping 190 proof or 95% ABV.

As for how the Jack Daniel's Single Barrel whiskey compares to other single barrel whiskeys, it has a similar proof point. For example, Knob Creek Single Barrel Reserve (a high caliber whiskey recently found at Costco for a remarkably low price) is 120 proof, a high proof point that still falls short of Jack Daniel's offering due to the fact that it isn't barrel proof. Meaning, the Knob Creek bottle will have been diluted with water down to a consistent 120 proof.

In any case, while Jack Daniel's Single Barrel Barrel Proof sits at an extremely high proof (for a whiskey), it still isn't considered as dangerously strong as some other high-proof whiskeys. In the whiskey world, anything 140-proof or above is called hazmat whiskey which are banned on aircrafts due to their flammability. As you might imagine, there aren't many.