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
Following up on expressions like its Tennessee Fire and Tennessee Honey, Jack Daniel’s continues to tinker with adding flavored expressions to its repertoire. The latest: Tennessee Apple, which is exactly what you think it is, a heavily flavored mix of JD and apple liqueur. It tastes exactly like you’d expect, too, starting with a nose…
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Last year’s Jack Daniel’s Heritage Barrel bottling was clearly enough of a hit to merit a reprise. To wit, it’s Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel Heritage Barrel 2019, which is made with the same concept in mind. Some info: Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel “Heritage Barrel” will return to shelves for a limited run this fall. Fewer…
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We’ve been writing about Tennessee-based Chattanooga Whiskey for years now, and while we’ve been upbeat about their products, they have, for better or worse, all been sourced products. Now Chattanooga is out with its own house-made spirit — or rather, a pair of them with names based on their proof levels — made in what…
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The Uncle Nearest brand only got its start in late 2018 with the launch of Uncle Nearest 1856, but the brand has already launched a second and third expression. We missed #2, Uncle Nearest 1820, and we’re skipping ahead to #3: Uncle Nearest 1884. Like 1856, it’s a sourced, Tennessee-distilled whiskey that doesn’t formally…
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It is no small thing for a craft whiskey distillery to release its own, house-made whiskey, and because whiskey takes valuable time to produce, often years of barrel aging, it’s a stressful waiting game. Nelson’s Green Brier Distillery has been waiting since 2014 for that moment. In the meantime, they’ve released a successful line of…
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In case you may have thought that Barrell Bourbon was a bit of a newcomer to the whiskey scene, we’re now actually up to 20 releases in their eponymous line of small batch bourbons. We recently received a sample of the latest offering, Batch 20, which is a blend of rye bourbons produced in Kentucky…
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The fourth release in Jack Daniel’s experimental Tennessee Tasters’ Selection series has arrived, and it’s a cask strength expression of its Tennessee Rye bottling. So, not too experimental… but as flavor profiles go, this one’s a huge step away for Jack. Made from a mashbill of 70% rye, 18% corn, and 12% malted barley, this rye…
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George Dickel is awfully late to the Bottled in Bond party, but here it is at last, with a 13 year old Tennessee Whiskey spearheaded by Nicole Austin, the company’s new head distiller and general manager. Distilled in 2005, this release comes from the same mash as Dickel’s other whiskeys — 84% corn, 8% rye…
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Jack Daniel’s latest innovation starts, like most, with the essentials of Old No. 7. Crafted from the same mash, it’s also filtered before barrel-aging by passing it through maple charcoal, just like all “real” Tennessee whiskey, then aged in new, charred oak barrels. And then things start to change. The big switch comes when Old…
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For a city that seems to always be in need of a stiff drink, WhiskyFest D.C. was a little less crowded than in previous years. Once again, there was no sign of Pappy van Winkle, but the BTAC offerings lasted well into the evening. As with most DC WhiskyFests, the seminars offered the biggest bang for…
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