The view of a Jack Daniel rickhouse in Lynchburg, Tennessee. Jack Daniel is likely one of the oldest distilleries within the state, and positively essentially the most prolific.
Lower than a decade in the past, a tour of Tennessee’s whiskey distilleries would have taken you to Jack Daniel, George Dickel (now Cascade Hole), and family-owned Prichard’s, and that may have been it. Tennessee distilling remained inside this small circle of three till the mid-2000s—regardless of the state being dwelling to the world’s biggest-selling American whiskey, Jack Daniel’s, and laying declare to distilling roots relationship again to 1771.
The explanation for this oddity could be summed up in a single phrase: temperance. Simply previous to the Civil Struggle, Tennessee was producing sufficient whiskey for the Accomplice authorities to put a wartime ban on manufacturing with the intention to preserve grain provides. Within the post-war years, the temperance motion gathered steam, and by the point Prohibition was enacted in 1920, some 33 states already had been imposing their very own alcohol bans. Tennessee was one among them, inserting bans on consumption and manufacturing as early as 1838, however actually ramping up efforts by the early 1900s. Nationwide Repeal got here in 1933, however Tennessee stayed dry till 1937. Even then, distilling was allowed in simply three counties: Moore, Espresso, and Lincoln. It wasn’t till 2009 that the state legislature expanded authorized distilling to 41 extra counties, touching off right this moment’s Tennessee whiskey renaissance.
New Beginnings
Cascade Hole Distilling Co. is perched upon a lush, inexperienced expanse of land in Tullahoma, little greater than an hour’s drive south of Nashville. Right here common supervisor and distiller Nicole Austin is eager to honor a prolific legacy, and has been succeeding in that mission since her arrival in 2018. The Dickel identify has shot to heart stage throughout Austin’s tenure, with the distillery producing a variety of hotly anticipated new releases every year, and clinching the highest spot on Whisky Advocate’s 2019 High 20 listing with its 13 yr previous bottled in bond Tennessee whiskey.
New expressions have been launched, like a latest collaboration with Leopold Bros. of Denver—a wedding of Leopold Bros. Three Chamber rye and the never-before-released Dickel conventional column nonetheless rye—which have supplied Austin an opportunity to construct upon the Dickel identify. She has additionally taken Tennessee whiskey down a path much more uniquely hers with Cascade Moon, launched in 2020. “Cascade Moon is my seek for one thing not so heavy—Dickel’s an unbelievable model with a ton of heritage, which is extraordinarily thrilling, however you must be respectful of that heritage, too, which is each blessing and burden,” she says. “With Cascade Moon, I can push the boundaries and discover a bit extra with whiskey and what whiskey could be. What may the following 150 years of whiskey be about?”
Austin hopes that Cascade Moon will additional the dialog about growing older in Tennessee, and what makes Dickel’s rickhouses distinctive, permitting for terribly gradual, tempered maturation. The newest Cascade Moon expression, Version 3, is a rye, made at MGP in 2003. Austin argues that maturation in Tennessee has made a distinction in its taste—that may very a lot be within the eye (or the palate) of the beholder. She additionally sees extra rye whiskeys from Cascade Hole sooner or later.
At Jack Daniel, grasp distiller Chris Fletcher has been busy creating new expressions.
Simply 18 miles down the highway from Cascade Hole is Tennessee’s star participant, Jack Daniel Distillery—which is so massive that 40,000-gallon fermenters are the norm, producing the formidable Previous No. 7, of which some 12.3 million instances are made every year. However grasp distiller Chris Fletcher has additionally been busy recently with a number of latest creations. Final yr noticed the introduction of Jack Daniel’s 10 yr previous, the distillery’s first age-stated bottling in additional than a century, and Fletcher hints at extra to come back. “I’m not making any guarantees, however I do assume it’s going to be extremely attention-grabbing to proceed pushing the restrict on what we predict we will do with growing older our whiskey right here,” he says.
The ten yr previous didn’t simply relaxation in its barrels for a decade; after 8 years of growing older on the highest ground of a rickhouse, the casks had been moved to the underside ground to gradual the angel’s share extraction and soften the flavors. A few of Jack’s different latest releases, notably its Tennessee Tasters line, which is offered primarily on the distillery, embody a wide range of attention-grabbing wood-finished expressions, in addition to ryes, together with Barrel Reunion No.-1, completed in crimson wine barrels; Hickory Smoked, completed on charred hickory staves; and Barrel Proof rye.
A 30-minute drive from Lynchburg is Shelbyville and the previous Sand Creek Farms—of Tennessee Strolling Horse fame—which is now the house of Uncle Nearest whiskey. The 323-acre property is within the midst of a four-phase, $50 million build-out. A customer heart is up and working, surrounded by the sprawling farm’s scenic pasture land and modern, gaiting horses. Whereas on the customer heart friends can get a crash course on the historical past of Tennessee whiskey, get pleasure from Tennessee-centric snacks, like Moon Pies and cotton sweet, on the concession stand, and go to the alcohol-free speakeasy designed to teach friends on Tennessee’s function in each the temperance and girls’s suffrage actions. Elsewhere, a barbecue restaurant, tasting room, and grasp blender’s home make the Uncle Nearest campus a bona-fide whiskey playground.
For now, Uncle Nearest sources its whiskey—primarily from Tennessee Distilling Group in Columbia, although it does have a single nonetheless in Shelbyville for small batch manufacturing and final yr, the Nearest Inexperienced Nonetheless Home opened its doorways, that means manufacturing will ramp up in significant method. Humble Baron—an leisure venue that’s dwelling to the world’s longest bar and a restaurant can be on-site.
Set proper on the Tennessee River in Chattanooga, Chattanooga Whiskey makes bourbon, not Tennessee whiskey.
Each Nook of the State
The world simply south of Nashville round Jack Daniel and Cascade Hole nonetheless represents the center of Tennessee whiskey nation, however distilleries are additionally popping up throughout the state. Chattanooga, within the southernmost tip of the state close to the Georgia and Alabama border, is about alongside the winding Tennessee River and surrounded by forests. Chattanooga Whiskey gives up a scenic setting for cask-strength and experimental releases at its two riverfront distilleries (one is solely for experimental releases and is open for guests, whereas the flagship distillery is primarily accountable for manufacturing of Chattanooga’s high-malt bourbon and is closed to the general public). Bourbon is the secret right here, not Tennessee whiskey, provided that the distillery eschews the Lincoln County Course of.
A couple of hours northeast of Chattanooga is Gatlinburg, a city on the sting of the Nice Smoky Mountains Nationwide Park that’s dwelling to not solely Dollywood, however Sugarlands Distilling as effectively. Sugarlands is understood for its moonshines, however the distillery additionally has a single whiskey in its secure: Roaming Man rye. Bottled at cask power and aged for simply over 2 years, Roaming Man is produced in finite batches that constantly promote out, and it’s distinctive from its friends simply by advantage of its mashbill—Tennessee rye is on the cusp of coming into its personal.
Whereas Sugarland Distilling in Gatlinburg is understood for its moonshines, the distillery additionally makes Roaming Man rye, a cask power whiskey aged for simply over two years that constantly sells out.
And there’s extra within the works: Firm Distilling is the brainchild of Jeff Arnett, who labored at Jack Daniel for some 20 years earlier than departing in 2020. Along with Heath Clark of H Clark Distillery, Firm is on monitor to have three separate distilleries over the following few years, and the enterprise has already debuted its first whiskey—a wheated bourbon aged in maplewood barrels, presently unique to Tennessee. “One factor that separates Tennessee whiskey from bourbon is using maplewood, and that’s usually launched as a charcoal, however we had the prospect to honor using maplewood by simply utilizing it for ending functions, not on the entrance finish however on the again finish [of production],” says Arnett. This implies Firm’s wheated bourbon doesn’t qualify as a Tennessee whiskey, however that’s a boundary lots of the state’s distillers are keen to stretch as they attempt to push the boundaries of creativity.
All the best way on the very reverse nook of the state, blues and barbecue hub Memphis has a burgeoning distillery scene of its personal, bolstered by Previous Dominick Distillery downtown and B.R. Distilling Co. on the metropolis’s northern edge. In terms of whiskey, Previous Dominick is understood for its Huling Station vary, which features a wheat whiskey, a mix of straight whiskeys, and a straight bourbon, all of that are made in accordance with an previous household recipe—the distillery’s namesake, Domenico Canale, was bottling whiskey below his identify within the late 1800s. Although these whiskeys are sourced from MGP, a Tennessee whiskey made on the distillery and aged for 4 years is about to debut within the fall, pending ongoing provide chain points. B.R., in the meantime, lays declare to being the oldest licensed distillery within the metropolis (although that’s not saying an excessive amount of, provided that they opened in 2013), and gives up straight bourbon and rye whiskeys, each made and aged on-site.
One other of Tennessee’s new whiskey stars is Sweetens Cove, which debuted in 2020 and is owned by retired NFL star Peyton Manning and tennis legend Andy Roddick, amongst different companions. It’s named for a picturesque native golf course alongside the Tennessee River about 30 miles west of Chattanooga. Whereas Sweetens Cove’s bourbon is presently sourced and confined to small batch and restricted editions, its grasp blender Marianne Eaves sees some leeway. “Bourbon is the strongest preliminary play out of the gate for Tennessee, as a result of individuals are wanting distinctive bourbons, however there’s a lot progress in rye, and I see main alternative there,” she says. “Tennessee rye remains to be fairly new, and I’ll be seeking to see if the state comes collectively and creates its personal requirements for rye,” says Eaves.
