Why Jack Daniel's Iconic Bottles Are Square

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Fans of the beloved booze recognize Jack Daniel's whiskey bottles by their distinctive square shape. As opposed to rivals like Jameson, Jack Daniel's comes with hard edges that make it easy to spot on liquor store shelves. Is the point of the shape a brand differentiator? Not according to the untold truth of Jack Daniel's. Company lore claims a brief quip by founder Jasper Newton "Jack" Daniel led to the company's distinct bottle shape.

Daniel did not adopt a laissez faire approach when it came to his company. He was heavily involved from start to finish, even stipulating where to get the best water for whiskey making. One thing Daniel could not control was how his whiskey was bottled. Back in the 1800s, it was custom to sell whiskey in barrels or crates. Shop owners would fill the bottles themselves, something the Daniel family worried could sully the brand's reputation. What if a shop owner watered down their product? To ensure its taste stayed high quality and consistent, the company began bottling its own booze in the late 1800s.

According to the official Jack Daniel's website, Daniel was incredibly picky about choosing the right bottle when meeting with a glass salesman. After the exasperated salesman showed him every single bottle, he picked up the last option: a square-shaped bottle. Daniel quipped, "A square bottle for a square shooter." The Jack Daniel's square-shaped bottle was officially born.

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While the square shooter story is certainly memorable, it is probably not the only reason the company opted for square shaped bottles. There were practical factors at play as well. For one, a square-shaped bottle is much easier to pack and ship. Second, it made the brand more distinct. Back in the late 1800s, Jack Daniel's was a new, growing company that needed to do what it could to garner attention and, in turn, expand. The square-shaped bottle helped, and today you'll find every Jack Daniel's flavor housed in this familiar vessel.

The square-shaped bottle was not the only way that Jack Daniel's managed to stand out in an oversaturated market. The brand also had a unique means of making whiskey. Prior to barrel aging, part of the signature Jack Daniel's method was filtering spirits through charcoal. This helped create a flavor that was both smooth and far more recognizable than other whiskeys of the day. Much like their square-shaped bottles, charcoal-processing proved an invaluable means of distinguishing the Jack Daniel's brand in its earliest days.