As incongruous as it might seem, there are some booze and automotive companies that have longstanding partnerships: Bowmore and Aston Martin, the Macallan and Bentley, Glenfiddich and Aston Martin F1, Coachbuilt and driver Jenson Button, and Jack Daniel’s and McLaren Racing. That last collaboration is now entering its third year, and to mark the occasion a new limited-edition bottle of Old No. 7 is being released—and it’s significantly higher proof than the regular whiskey.
That is a key difference, because regular Old No. 7 is bottled at the minimum 80 proof, but this new release comes in at 86 proof. That might not sound like much, but taste the two side by side and you will definitely notice a difference in flavor and intensity. That’s really the only difference between the two whiskeys, aside from the packaging which differs from the last two releases but still uses McLaren’s papaya orange color along with Old No. 7’s signature black. The whiskey is made from the classic Jack Daniel’s mashbill of 80 percent corn, 8 percent rye, and 12 percent malted barley (as is all Jack Daniel’s whiskey except for the rye). It also undergoes the Lincoln County process in which it’s filtered through 10 feet of charcoal before being barreled in new white charred oak, a key step in “mellowing” the whiskey as Jack refers to it.
“2024 was a fantastic year for the McLaren Formula 1 Team which saw the team secure the coveted Constructors’ Championship title,” said Jamie Butler, Jack Daniel’s global brand director, in a statement. “We couldn’t be more proud to partner with a brand that continues to redefine success in the pursuit of continued improvement. This year’s McLaren X Jack Daniel’s limited edition bottle features a new label and packaging design and higher proof that embodies the same spirit Mr. Jack himself lived by—every day we make it, we make it the best we can.”
Of course, if you’re interested in trying something new from Jack that is very different from Old No. 7, don’t miss out on the new 14-year-old whiskey, one of the best things that the distillery has ever released (and if you can’t find that bottle, the 10 and 12-year-old versions are worth checking out as well). The new 2025 McLaren X Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey is available now at retailers around the country, and you can find the entire Jack Daniel’s lineup from websites like ReserveBar.
Authors
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Jonah Flicker