Tennessee Whiskey
The subject of eternal debate among whiskey enthusiasts, Tennessee whiskey is technically a type of bourbon. It must be produced to the same specifications as bourbon: at least 51% corn, aged in new, charred oak containers, and bottled at a minimum of 80 proof. Unsurprisingly, it must also be produced in the state of Tennessee. The most unique requirement, however, is that it must use the Lincoln County Process in its production. While most whiskey is filtered through activated charcoal before bottling, the Lincoln County Process is a more elaborate filtration procedure that uses sugar maple charcoal before it goes into the barrel. The result is a “mellowing” of the whiskey, as well as unique maple and smoke notes in many expressions. The most famous Tennessee whiskey, and also the best-selling American whiskey in the world, is Jack Daniel’s. There are only a few other Tennessee whiskey producers today, partly owing to Jack Daniel’s dominance of the category and also because Tennessee, until the 2010s, heavily restricted the production of alcohol in the state.
Top Tennessee Whiskey Posts:
A Visit to Jack Daniel’s Distillery
A Visit to Nelson’s Green Brier Distillery
George Dickel Tennessee Whiskies – Cascade Hollow, No. 8, and No. 12
I don’t know if there’s a bigger success story in the whiskey world in the last decade than Uncle Nearest, with Nearest Green-descendent Fawn Weaver churning out a range of expressions across the spectrum from the top shelf to, well, further down. Need more proof? Despite its youth, the Uncle Nearest distillery is now the…
Leave it to Jack Daniel’s to come up with oddball experiments that are so crazy they just might work: Jack Daniel’s Distillery Series Selection #14 is Tennessee Straight Rye Whiskey, finished in High Toast Maple Barrels. What’s a high toast maple barrel? It’s a barrel made from maple wood (not a syrup-containing vessel) that has…
Since its launch in 2017, Uncle Nearest has been a brand quick to embrace and highlight American whiskey history. After all, the name itself pays tribute to Nearest Green, whose 7th-generation descendant Fawn Weaver founded the brand amidst a remarkable American whiskey boom. The Tennessee-based operation’s latest line of limited releases has a dual purpose,…
Jack Daniel’s latest Single Barrel Special Release harkens back to what is arguably its most prized, sought-after release of all time: 2021’s Coy Hill High Proof. That release was famous for being one of the highest-proof bourbons ever commercially released (and was followed by a 2022 re-issue of additional stock). You can’t really follow that…
Jack Daniel’s 13th Distillery Series release — available only at the distillery — is here, and it’s one of the more unique and intriguing releases from the brand. First, it’s branded as a “Tennessee Rye,” which isn’t a protected term but which trades on JD’s longstanding production of Tennessee whiskey, which is technically a form…
Vermont-based Lost Lantern first launched their bourbon-focused series Summer of Bourbon in 2023 with a simple message that “great bourbon now comes from all over the United States.” They’re back in 2024 with another exclusive bourbon lineup for the summer (which is also on the heels of this year’s Spring 2024 series featuring whiskeys more…
Dickel’s bonded expressions continue to arrive at a healthy clip of about one per year since the 2019 launch of the series. This new 2024 version was distilled in Spring 2011 and bottled after 12 years in the barrel. There’s no particular twist with this release (two prior releases were drawn from the same casks…
The next Distillery Series release from Jack Daniel’s has arrived, and it’s one of the most surprising I’ve seen from the brand to date. The spin with this release — an experimental release that will only be sold in Tennessee for a limited time — is that after its initial aging in new charred oak barrels,…
Out Nashville buddies the Nelson brothers recently released two new whiskeys — one, a sourced rye bottled under the Nelson Bros. brand, the other a cask strength Tennessee whiskey made by the Nelsons directly, bottled to celebrate the recent completion of the distillery’s renovation (which no includes a restaurant on site). Let’s dig in to…
Jack Daniel’s whiskey is hardly ever difficult to find, but the brand’s annual Single Barrel Special Release collection is so highly allocated and fervently sought after that it defies those expectations. It also treads the road less traveled in that, aside from their Distillery Series, Jack Daniel’s Special Releases have represented some of the wildest…