Tennessee whiskey

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Whiskey being aged at Jack Daniel's Distillery in Lynchburg Whiskey barrels.jpg
Whiskey being aged at Jack Daniel's Distillery in Lynchburg
The George Dickel distillery in Tullahoma GeorgeDickelDistillery.jpg
The George Dickel distillery in Tullahoma

Tennessee whiskey is straight whiskey produced in the U.S. state of Tennessee. Although it has been legally defined as a bourbon whiskey in some international trade agreements, [1] [2] [3] most current producers of Tennessee whiskey disclaim references to their products as "bourbon" and do not label them as such on any of their bottles or advertising materials. All current Tennessee whiskey producers are required by Tennessee law to produce their whiskeys in Tennessee and – with the sole exception of Benjamin Prichard's  – to use a filtering step known as the Lincoln County Process prior to aging the whiskey. Beyond the perceived marketing value of the distinction, Tennessee whiskey and bourbon have almost identical requirements, and most Tennessee whiskeys meet the criteria for bourbon. [4]

Contents

Tennessee whiskey is one of the top ten exports of Tennessee. [5] According to the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States, as of 2013, the U.S. market for bourbon and Tennessee whiskey reached $2.4 billion, and exports of bourbon and Tennessee whiskey grew to exceed $1 billion. [5] [6] [7] There are two major producers of Tennessee whiskey, Jack Daniel's based in Lynchburg (owned by the Louisville, Kentucky-based Brown-Forman) and George Dickel based in Cascade Hollow near Tullahoma (owned by the London-based Diageo), as well as numerous locally based producers throughout the state. In June 2017, the Tennessee Distillers Guild launched the Tennessee Whiskey Trail, a 25-stop distillery tour across the state, to further promote Tennessee whiskey and local whiskey culture. [8]

History

Whiskey production in Tennessee started with the emigration of Scotch-Irish from Pennsylvania and Virginia. [9] President Andrew Jackson served Tennessee whiskey in the White House, a custom continued by James Polk. [10] Filtering of whiskey through maple charcoal was practiced as early as 1825 by Alfred Eaton in Tullahoma, though the process was likely used earlier outside of Tennessee. [11] Jack Daniel's was established as a brand in 1875. [12] [13] By the end of the 19th century, there were over 700 licensed distilleries in the state. [14]

Statewide prohibition on the sale and manufacture of alcohol took effect in 1910, wiping out the industry. Following repeal in 1933, Jack Daniel's moved operations back to Lynchburg (the company's attempts at production in Missouri and Alabama did not yield any saleable product) as the first distillery to open post-Prohibition. The next distillery to be licensed in the state, George Dickel, followed in 1958 as a revived brand. [15]

Robertson County

Robertson County, which in the 19th century distilled more whiskey than any other county in the state, produced a "distinctive" sour mash whiskey that was said to be "similar to, but not quite the same as, Kentucky bourbon." [16] The Prohibition amendment destroyed the few remaining Robertson County distilleries that survived into the 20th century. [16]

Lincoln County Process

Nearly all Tennessee whiskeys undergo a filtering stage called the Lincoln County Process, in which the whiskey is filtered through (or steeped in) a thick layer of maple charcoal before it is put into new charred oak barrels for aging. [17] The companies that produce whiskey in this manner suggest this step improves the flavor of the whiskey. The filtering process is named for Lincoln County, Tennessee, the home of the Jack Daniel's distillery when it originally began operations. However, in 1871, the boundaries of the county changed, placing the Jack Daniel's distillery and the surrounding area in the newly created Moore County. Ironically, the only whiskey currently produced within the current boundaries of Lincoln County is Prichard's, which is the only Tennessee whiskey that does not use the Lincoln County Process. [18]

On a federal level, the definition of Tennessee whiskey is legally established under the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) [1] and at least one other international trade agreement [2] that require it to be "a straight Bourbon whiskey authorized to be produced only in the State of Tennessee". Canadian food and drug laws state that Tennessee whiskey must be "a straight Bourbon whisky produced in the State of Tennessee". [3]

On a state level, the State of Tennessee has imposed stringent requirements for Tennessee whiskey. It is not enough under state law that the whiskey be produced in Tennessee; it must also meet specific quality and production standards. [19] On May 13, 2013, Tennessee governor Bill Haslam signed House Bill 1084, requiring the Lincoln County process (which involves maple charcoal filtering) to be used for products produced in the state labeled as "Tennessee Whiskey", along with the existing requirements for bourbon (e.g., mash consisting of at least 51% corn, aging in new charred oak barrels, and limits on alcohol by volume concentration for distillation, aging, and bottling). The law contains a specific exception for Benjamin Prichard's, which does not use the Lincoln County process. [20] [21] As federal law requires statements of origin on labels to be accurate, the Tennessee law effectively gives a firm definition to Tennessee whiskey. [19] [20]

Although Jack Daniel's supported the 2013 legislation – stating it was necessary to bring the quality of Tennessee whiskey to the level of bourbons and Scotches  – some of the state's smaller distilleries opposed it, arguing the process required by the law was too close to the process used by Jack Daniel's. Phil Prichard, the owner and distiller of Benjamin Prichard's, said, "If I wanted my whiskey to taste like Jack Daniel's, I would make it like Jack Daniel's." Jeff Arnett, the Master Distiller at Jack Daniel's, noted that stringent requirements were required by Scotch makers in Scotland and champagne makers in France, and Tennessee whiskey should not be treated any differently. [22]

In 2014, legislation was introduced in the Tennessee state legislature to amend the 2013 law to allow the reuse of barrels in the aging process. Diageo, which owns George Dickel, supported the proposed change. Arnett blasted the proposed amendment, going as far as to accuse Diageo of attempting to weaken the quality of Tennessee whiskey to protect its Scotch and bourbon brands. Diageo argued that the 2013 law was an attempt by Jack Daniel's to push smaller competitors out of the market. [5]

Relatively few original brands of Tennessee whiskey exist today, due to statewide prohibition that lasted even longer than national prohibition. [23] As of 2013, many Tennessee counties still prohibit the sale of alcohol. In 2009, the Tennessee General Assembly amended the statute that had for many years limited the distillation of drinkable spirits to just three of Tennessee's 95 counties (Lincoln, Moore, and Coffee). The revised law allows distilleries to be established in 41 additional counties. This change is expected to lead to the establishment of more small distilleries, thus increasing the number of producers of Tennessee whiskey. [24]

Brands

Jack Daniel's Old No. 7 Jack Daniel's Old No. 7 1,14l.jpg
Jack Daniel's Old No. 7
George Dickel Old No. 8 Dickel No.8.jpg
George Dickel Old No. 8

Current producers

Whiskey made in Tennessee that is not "Tennessee whiskey"

All Tennessee whiskey is from Tennessee, but not all whiskey from Tennessee is "Tennessee whiskey". For example, the Ole Smoky Distillery (which began operation in 2010) is located in Tennessee and produces several whiskey products, but they are not sold as Tennessee whiskey because they do not meet all the criteria necessary for such. Instead, they are usually marketed under other terms, such as "Tennessee moonshine".

George Dickel began production of a rye whiskey in 2012 that also cannot be labeled a Tennessee whiskey because it is produced from a rye-based mash and is not distilled in Tennessee. Most of the stages of its production are conducted under contract in Indiana, and the whiskey is then trucked to the Diageo bottling plant in Plainfield, Illinois, for filtering with charcoal made at the Dickel distillery and then bottling. [28] In early 2014, the brand introduced a white corn whiskey using an unaged version of its standard mashbill, which consists of more than 80% corn, allowing for its sale as "corn whiskey". [29] The bottle makes no reference to Tennessee whiskey. Dickel would go on to release a Bourbon whiskey.

Production began in 2012 of a Jack Daniel's Tennessee Rye. [30] As it is 70% rye, it is not labeled as a Tennessee whiskey. A limited initial release that was not aged in wood was labeled "Spirits Distilled from Grain". [31] A second limited release, called "Rested Rye", was released after two years of aging and labeled a straight rye whiskey. [32] A fully aged version was released in 2017. [33]

As of 2017, Benjamin Prichard's also produces a Tennessee Rye Whiskey, a malt whiskey, two whiskeys labeled as bourbon, and an unaged corn whiskey called Lincoln County Lightning. [34] Like Prichard's Tennessee whiskey, these are not charcoal filtered prior to aging.[ citation needed ]

As of 2014, Popcorn Sutton's Tennessee White Whiskey was an unaged corn whiskey produced in Tennessee. [19]

Tennessee whiskey is the namesake for the country music song "Tennessee Whiskey", written by Dean Dillon and Linda Hargrove and originally released by David Allan Coe as the title track of his 1981 studio LP. The song was later recorded and released as a hit single by George Jones in 1983. [35] More recently, the song was covered by Chris Stapleton in 2015 on his album Traveller .

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Whisky</span> Distilled alcoholic beverage

Whisky or whiskey is a type of liquor made from fermented grain mash. Various grains are used for different varieties, including barley, corn, rye, and wheat. Whisky is typically aged in wooden casks, which are typically made of charred white oak. Uncharred white oak casks previously used for the aging of port, rum or sherry are also sometimes used.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bourbon whiskey</span> Type of American whiskey

Bourbon is a type of barrel-aged American whiskey made primarily from corn (maize). The name derives from the French Bourbon dynasty, although the precise source of inspiration is uncertain; contenders include Bourbon County in Kentucky and Bourbon Street in New Orleans, both of which are named after the dynasty. The name bourbon may not have been used until the 1850s; the association with Bourbon County did not appear until the 1870s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rye whiskey</span> Distilled alcoholic beverage

Rye whiskey can refer to two different, but related, types of whiskey:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jack Daniel's</span> Whiskey brand

Jack Daniel's is a brand of Tennessee whiskey. It is produced in Lynchburg, Tennessee, by the Jack Daniel Distillery, which has been owned by the Brown–Forman Corporation since 1956.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George Dickel</span> Brand of whisky produced in the State of Tennessee

George Dickel is a brand of Tennessee whisky produced in Tullahoma, in Coffee County, Tennessee. Today owned by Diageo, the modern brand was introduced in 1964, though the distillery has a longer history. Whisky production and aging takes place at the Cascade Hollow Distillery, which offers tours to the public and is part of the American Whiskey Trail. George Dickel operates the second-largest distillery in Tennessee, selling 130,000 cases in 2013, while the largest is Jack Daniel's, which sold 11.5 million cases the same year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jim Beam</span> Brand of bourbon whiskey

Jim Beam is an American brand of bourbon whiskey produced in Clermont, Kentucky, by Beam Suntory. It is one of the best-selling brands of bourbon in the world. Since 1795, seven generations of the Beam family have been involved in whiskey production for the company that produces the brand. The brand name became "Jim Beam" in 1943 in honor of James B. Beam, who rebuilt the business after Prohibition ended. Previously produced by the Beam family and later owned by the Fortune Brands holding company, the brand was purchased by Suntory Holdings in 2014.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Heaven Hill</span> American distillery company

Heaven Hill Distilleries, Inc. is a private, American family-owned and operated distillery founded in 1935 and headquartered in Bardstown, Kentucky, that produces and markets the Heaven Hill brand of Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey and a variety of other distilled spirits.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lincoln County Process</span>

The Lincoln County Process is a step used in producing almost all Tennessee whiskeys. The whiskey is filtered through—or steeped in—charcoal chips before going into the casks for aging. The process is named for Lincoln County, Tennessee, which was the location of Jack Daniel's distillery at the time of its establishment, but is no longer used in that county.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">American whiskey</span> Type of distilled liquor produced in the United States

American whiskey is whiskey produced in the United States. American whiskeys made from mashes with at least 51% of their named grains include bourbon whiskey, rye whiskey, rye malt whiskey, malt whiskey, wheat whiskey, Tennessee whiskey, and corn whiskey.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bulleit Bourbon</span> Brand of Kentucky straight bourbon whiskey

Bulleit Bourbon is a brand of Kentucky straight bourbon whiskey produced at the Bulleit Distillery in Lebanon, Kentucky and the Bulleit Distillery in Shelbyville, Kentucky, owned by the Diageo beverage conglomerate. It is characterized by a high rye content for a bourbon and being aged at least six years. It is bottled at 45% abv for the US, Canadian, British, Dutch and Mexican markets. For Australian and Danish markets, it is bottled at 40% abv. It is also sold in Germany, Norway and Sweden.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Small batch whiskey</span> Product label

Small batch whiskey is whiskey produced by mixing the contents of a relatively small number of selected barrels. Small batch whiskeys are commercially positioned for the upper-premium market. The term is most commonly used for American whiskey but is sometimes used for other whiskeys as well. For example, the Bowmore distillery in Islay, Scotland, has produced a single malt Scotch whisky labeled as "small batch".

Nelson's Green Brier Distillery is a whiskey distillery located in downtown Nashville, Tennessee that produces different varieties of Tennessee whiskey and bourbons. The distillery offers daily public tours and tastings as well as a large mercantile shop with bottles, barware and apparel available for purchase. In July 2023, Nelson's Green Brier Distillery opened a newly renovated distillery restaurant and full-service bar at their 1414 Clinton St. Nashville, TN 37203 location. The same facility also now offers four new private event and dining spaces available to rent for corporate functions, weddings and celebrations of varying sizes.

Benjamin Prichard's Tennessee Whiskey is a brand of Tennessee whiskey produced in the small community of Kelso, Tennessee in the United States. Although it is produced by one of only two distilleries operating in Lincoln County – and its unaged variation is named Lincoln County Lightning – Prichard's is not produced using the Lincoln County Process. Due to a special grandfathering exemption under a Tennessee law enacted in 2013, the Prichard's distillery in Kelso is the only producer allowed to label its product as "Tennessee Whiskey" without using this process. Prichard's whiskey is produced entirely using pot stills rather than column stills.

Ole Smoky Tennessee Moonshine is a corn whiskey distillery in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. Their downtown Gatlinburg, Tennessee facility features two working copper stills. Visitors are able to see the distilling process up close while learning about the history of moonshine production in the Smoky Mountains. $5 samples are offered. A second distillery, dubbed The Barn, opened in fall 2014 in Pigeon Forge. Ole Smoky opened a new facility called Mashville next to Yazoo Brewing Company in the heart of Nashville in the spring of 2019. From 2020 to 2022, the Ole Smoky Distillery was the most visited distillery in the world.

MGP Ingredients, Inc. is a distilled spirits and food ingredients producer with headquarters in Atchison, Kansas, United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Collier and McKeel</span>

Collier and McKeel is a brand of Tennessee whiskey produced in Nashville. The whiskey was originally distilled by Tennessee Distilling Company, a corporation founded in 2009 in Franklin, Tennessee, by former Tennessee state representative Mike Williams. The brand was sold to North Coast Spirits, a California business group, in 2014, but distillation and other operations remained in Nashville.

Master distiller is a title often used for a distilling expert or a key leader or owner at modern distilleries. The title doesn't have a fixed definition and can mean different things at different companies. Although the craft of distilling has existed for centuries throughout history, the term "master distiller" only dates back as far as the 1800s when it was first used to acknowledge the distilling expertise and knowledge a person gained after practicing and perfecting the craft of distilling for many years. In more recent usage, the term can have a much broader meaning and is sometimes used for owners and company leaders who run their companies but do not actively create the distilling recipes and processes used at their distilleries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey</span> Brand of Tennessee whiskey

Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey is a brand of Tennessee whiskey produced by Uncle Nearest, Inc., headquartered in Shelbyville, Tennessee, United States. The whiskey is named after the formerly enslaved man, Nathan "Nearest" Green, who taught a young Jack Daniel the craft of distilling.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Outline of whisky</span> Outline of the knowledge of whisky

The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to whisky:

References

  1. 1 2 "North American Free Trade Agreement Annex 313: Distinctive products". Sice.oas.org. Retrieved April 12, 2013.
  2. 1 2 SICE - Free Trade Agreement between the Government of the United States of America and the Government of the Republic of Chile, Section E, Article 3.15 "Distinctive products".
  3. 1 2 "Canada Food and Drug regulations, C.R.C. C.870, provision B.02.022.1" (PDF). Government of Canada Justice Laws Website. Retrieved August 15, 2017.
  4. ↑ "Beginner's Guide to Bourbon and Tennessee Whiskey". pastemagazine.com. Retrieved September 23, 2018.
  5. 1 2 3 "Jack Daniel denounces barrel legislation". Tullahoma News. Retrieved September 23, 2018.
  6. ↑ "U.S. Bourbon and TN Whiskey Drive Export Records in 2013 – Distilled Spirits Council". www.distilledspirits.org. Retrieved September 23, 2018.
  7. ↑ Distilled Spirits Council Industry Review, Distilled Spirits Council of the United States, February 4, 2014.
  8. ↑ "Tennessee Whiskey Trail Features 25 Distilleries Across the State". Cocktail Enthusiast. June 20, 2017. Retrieved June 20, 2017.
  9. ↑ Waymack & Harris 1995 , p. 170
  10. ↑ Waymack & Harris 1995 , p. 173
  11. ↑ Waymack & Harris 1995 , pp. 175–176
  12. ↑ "Tennessee Myths and Legends". Tennessee State Library and Archives. Archived from the original on December 24, 2013. Retrieved July 23, 2012.
  13. ↑ Krass, Peter (2004). Blood and whiskey: the life and times of Jack Daniel. Hoboken, New Jersey: Wiley. ISBN   0-471-27392-9.
  14. ↑ Waymack & Harris 1995 , p. 182
  15. ↑ Waymack & Harris 1995 , p. 204
  16. 1 2 Gaston, Kay Baker (1984). "Robertson County Distilleries, 1796–1909". Tennessee Historical Quarterly. 43 (1): 49–67. ISSN   0040-3261.
  17. ↑ "Lincoln County Process". Whiskey Advocate. Retrieved December 24, 2017.
  18. ↑ Waterbury, Margarett (August 27, 2016). "Tennessee Whiskey and the Lincoln County Process". The Whiskey Wash. Retrieved December 24, 2017.
  19. 1 2 3 Esterl, Mike (March 18, 2014). "Jack Daniels Faces Whiskey Rebellion". The Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on March 19, 2014. Retrieved March 18, 2014.
  20. 1 2 Zandona, Eric. "Tennessee Whiskey Gets a Legal Definition". EZdrinking. Retrieved January 11, 2014.
  21. ↑ "Public Chapter No. 341" (PDF). State of Tennessee. Retrieved March 19, 2014.
  22. ↑ Smith, Max (March 14, 2014). "Liquor Giants Battle Over Tennessee Whiskey, Barrels". The Tennessean. USA Today . Retrieved October 29, 2014.
  23. ↑ Gaston, Kay Baker (1999). "Tennessee Distilleries: Their Rise, Fall, and Re-emergence". Border States: Journal of the Kentucky-Tennessee American Studies Association. Retrieved March 20, 2013.
  24. ↑ John T. Edge, That's the Whiskey Talking, Gourmet.com (Gourmet magazine website), August 13, 2009
  25. ↑ "Chattanooga Whiskey Company". Chattanooga Whiskey Company. Retrieved November 15, 2018.
  26. ↑ "Collier and McKeel". Collier and McKeel. Archived from the original on April 5, 2013. Retrieved April 12, 2013.
  27. ↑ "Nelson's Green Brier Distillery" . Retrieved February 27, 2015.
  28. ↑ Charles A. Cowdery, George Dickel Gives a Different Taste to LDI Rye, The Chuck Cowdery Blog, October 26, 2012.
  29. ↑ "George Dickel White Corn Whisky Foundation No. 1 Recipe". bevindustry.com. January 22, 2014. Retrieved March 8, 2014.
  30. ↑ "Jack Daniel's Unaged Rye Whiskey". uncrate. Archived from the original on March 26, 2013. Retrieved March 14, 2013.
  31. ↑ Bryson, Lew. "Buying Guide". Whisky Advocate. 22 (1). Archived from the original on January 27, 2013. Retrieved April 5, 2013.
  32. ↑ Geoff Kleinman (April 7, 2014). "Review: Jack Daniels Rested Tennessee Rye Whiskey". drinkspirits.com. Retrieved June 17, 2014.
  33. ↑ "Single Barrel Rye". April 23, 2016.
  34. ↑ "Products". Prichard's Distillery. Retrieved September 3, 2017.
  35. ↑ "Biography". Dean Dillon website. Retrieved December 22, 2009.

Bibliography

Further reading

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