The Mystery Of Jack Daniel's Connection To The Number 7

With the iconic black and white label along with its unmistakable font, Jack Daniel's might be the most recognized label in the entire booze game. No matter how familiar you might be with the image, the taste, or the mythology of Jack Daniel's, there's still one big question that no one seems to be able to answer. What exactly does that infamous No. 7 even mean?

Smack dab in the middle of every bottle of Jack Daniel's is one of the biggest mysteries in modern marketing — the No. 7. According to Business Insider, even the current Master Distiller for Jack Daniel's, Jeff Arnett, is just as confused as the rest of us. Although the world's best-selling American whiskey has a history of over 150 years, there is still no one that can factually solve the origin of the No. 7. Arnett even says that "it was a secret that [Jack Daniel] took to his grave." However, there are some speculations as to what the number stood for.

Although there aren't any solid facts or statements regarding the use of Jack Daniel's inclusion of the No. 7 on his bottles, there are more than enough myths (or maybe guesses), as to why the number is featured so prominently on the bottle. In a piece by Vine Pair, several historians shared their opinions and guesses. While the simplest of reasons is that the number seven might have either been Daniel's lucky number, or the seventh and best recipe he used, there are far more intricate philosophies and hypotheses.

One idea is that the company claimed its whiskey had been produced in the same manner for seven generations. Another, suggested by author Peter Krass, argues that it may have to do with tax districts. As you can guess, Jack Daniel's distillery was originally located in tax district No. 7. Krass implies that when tax districts had changed around, Daniel's decided to throw a finger up to the revenue department and keep his No. 7 at the forefront. However, in the end, it looks like Daniel's took this secret to the grave.