Jack rolls out $600 McLaren-inspired whiskey

1:05 a.m. April 30, 2026

DUANE CROSS
MCO Publisher•Editor

Jack Daniel’s has rolled out the most expensive limited global release in the Lynchburg distillery’s history – and this one is built for Formula 1 fans as much as whiskey collectors.

The distillery announced Thursday the debut of Jack Daniel’s Halo MK1 Tennessee Whiskey, a collaboration with the McLaren Formula 1 team. The 1-liter bottle carries a suggested retail price of $599.99 and will be available in select global markets.

The release blends two ideas: a specially crafted Tennessee whiskey from Lynchburg and a collector-style package inspired by McLaren race cars.

For Lynchburg, the release is another reminder of Jack Daniel’s unusual place in the world: a whiskey made in Moore County, sold around the globe, and now tied to one of the most visible teams in racing.

The package may draw as much attention as the whiskey. Jack Daniel’s said the design reimagines the halo structure of a McLaren F1 car as the vessel for the bottle. The package includes alloy metal, micro-suede, and carbon-fiber print – materials meant to echo the look and feel of McLaren’s race-car construction.

Mark Bacon, Jack Daniel’s senior vice president and global managing director, called it the brand’s “most exciting collaboration yet.”

Inside the race-inspired package is a high-proof Tennessee whiskey made from Jack Daniel’s familiar grain bill: 80% corn, 8% rye, and 12% malted barley.

Like all Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey, Halo MK1 is charcoal mellowed through 10 feet of sugar maple charcoal before aging. For this release, the whiskey was aged in new American white oak barrels made from staves left to age in the open air longer than usual before barrel toasting, a step the distillery says helps soften tannins and deepen the color, aroma, and flavor.

The whiskey is bottled at 58.7 percent alcohol by volume, or 117.4 proof. That number is also part of the McLaren tie-in. Jack Daniel’s said the proof is a nod to McLaren founder Bruce McLaren, whose first race car bore the number 58 and was an Austin 7 Ulster.

Jack Daniel’s Master Distiller Chris Fletcher described the whiskey as opening with notes of sweet maple, fruit, and toasted oak on the nose. On the palate, he said, it begins with caramel and chocolate before moving into pipe tobacco and baking spice, with barrel spice and brown sugar candy on the finish.

Louise McEwen, chief marketing officer for McLaren Racing, said the release reflects “precision, craftsmanship, and a shared respect for heritage.”

The Halo MK1 release is available now through Jack Daniel’s website while supplies last.

This is not a bottle built for the back bar. It is built for the shelf, the race fan, and the collector willing to pay for both.