Here's Why Jack Daniel's Bottles Are Square

It's well-known that labels are crucial in the liquor industry, not only describing the alcoholic contents but establishing a brand image, too. Yet a less often considered differentiator is the liquor bottle shape itself — a distinguishing characteristic that can be even more immediate. For instance, consider Jack Daniel's iconic Old No. 7 expression. Even when empty and stripped of a label, whiskey fans can immediately recognize the spirit's square packaging.

The liquor has been in circulation since the 19th century. The Jack Daniel Distillery, established in 1866, is the oldest registered distillery in the U.S. As such, many of the whiskey's characteristics are accompanied by a storied history, vessel included. The iconic square shape first hit the shelves around 1895, after several decades of distribution in jugs or barrels. Several theories circulate regarding the decision. Some cite logistical benefits — the sharp corners could ease transportation, with less rattling and unwanted bottle breakage.

However, a more charismatic story — one featured on the liquor's official website — involves Jack Daniel hand-selecting the bottle himself. According to the legend, the distillery creator couldn't settle on a bottle design, with the salesman exhausting all the possibilities until the last remaining square option. Daniel took a liking to the model, exclaiming the iconic phrase "A square bottle for a square shooter." And so, the era of Jack Daniel's Old No. 7 commenced.

Nowadays, whiskey packaged in tinted glass bottles with 750 milliliter capacity is industry standard — packaging not yet commonplace at the time of Jack Daniel's release. When the distillery started, the company sold its whiskey in large earthenware containers, which ranged from 1 to 3 gallons in size. Jack Daniel's pioneered labeling such jugs, which would then be transported to sales points. There, the merchants themselves would take on bottling the liquor, often using various shapes marked with a Jack Daniel's inscription.

It's believed that Lem Motlow, the nephew of Jack Daniel, first urged the distillery to take over the bottling process. Amidst this time period, Daniel created the Old No. 7 name and still-in-circulation label (the name's origins are still unknown). The brand wasn't the first to migrate production in-house; Old Forester first bottled its own whiskey in 1870. So in alignment with increasing standardization of whiskey sales, Jack Daniel's kicked off bottling in its iconic square shape 25 years later. Over the subsequent decades, the styling lightly altered, but the bottle label and shape have stayed remarkably consistent. To this day, whether you're sipping on the classic Old No. 7, mixing up a unique whiskey-based cocktail, or taste-testing a flavored expression, like Jack Daniel's sweet Tennessee Blackberry, the iconic packaging remains.