What's The Cheapest Bottle Of Jack Daniel's You Can Buy?

There's somewhere around a dozen different types of Jack Daniel's whiskey on the market (depending on how you count the limited release whiskeys), with options ranging from a single barrel rye to flavored whiskeys. And when it comes to price, they vary.

If you're looking for a full-strength option (80 proof or 40% alcohol), Jack Daniel's Old No. 7 Tennessee Whiskey will generally be the cheapest option when comparing bottles of the same size. (Prices mentioned in this article refer to the standard 750 milliliter or 25.4-ounce bottles.) You can typically find a bottle for around $17 to $22. Walmart's on the cheaper end at just under $17, while Target's about $19.

However, you may also want to look at Jack Daniel's classic flavored varieties: Honey, Fire (with cinnamon liqueur), and Apple (skip the new, so-so limited-edition flavors like blackberry; these cost more). Price-wise, they're often the same as Old No. 7, although with a fraction less strength (70 proof or 35% ABV). At Walmart, they have the exact same price at $16.73, while you'll get both Old No. 7 and those three flavors for $19 at Safeway. However, it seems that Old No. 7 may reliably be the cheapest: Some retailers offer the flavored versions for a few dollars more. One online liquor retailer has the Old No. 7 and Apple for about $22, with Honey and Fire costing slightly more. So basically, while the price floor seems to be the same for the flavored whiskeys and Old No. 7, the ceiling is a little higher for the flavored varieties.

Common sense might suggest that cheaper whiskeys like Old No. 7 or the flavored Jack Daniel's will be lower or even of poor quality, but it's more nuanced than that. In the case of Old No. 7, the price is arguably lower due to serious economies of scale and a finely-tuned industrial production cycle, rather than Jack Daniel's cutting corners with low-quality ingredients. (Of course, it's not aged as long as some of the more expensive Jack Daniel's products, because aging increases prices as someone needs to pay for warehouse space for all that whiskey.) Opinions inevitably vary, and it's typically ranked lower than some pricier options, but Old No. 7 nonetheless tends to get reasonable reviews: It's seen as a smooth, reliable go-to, nothing transcendent, but also a decent quality whiskey that works well with mixers.

As for the flavored options, the lower prices may also be explained by taxes — while there may be state-by-state differences, stronger (read: higher-proof) alcohol typically draws higher tax rates, so these products, which are arguably liqueurs more than spirits, can be sold for a bit cheaper. The reviews for these are a bit spottier, as some find them aggressively sweet (they contain added sugar, after all) and others feel the flavor can skew artificial, but they still get props for being easy to drink or good in cocktails. In short, saved money doesn't necessarily mean lost quality for the cheaper Jack Daniel's whiskeys.