History

Tennessee has been producing whiskey as long as any other state in the USA, however it was only in 1941 that the US Government recognised the whiskey as a unique product and not just another bourbon or rye. At the end of the 1800’s there were around 700 distilleries operating in the state but when the state declared prohibition in 1910 (almost 10 years before the rest of the country) this number quickly dropped to just seven.

Today, there are just two distilleries left in Tennessee; Jack Daniel’s and George Dickel

Production

The main difference between Tennessee and bourbon whiskies is not sour mash or location but the process of charcoal mellowing (filtering through sweet Maplewood charcoal) the whiskey before ageing. This process known as the Lincoln County Process was developed in the 1800’s as way of removing the harsher elements from the whiskey.

All Tennessee whiskies are made form at least 51% corn with usually rye as the secondary grain but others are used as well. The whiskey is fermented and distilled in a single column still before being distilled again in second still known as a “doubler” or “thumper as it is known in Tennessee. The whiskey is then fed into leaching tanks filled with around 12 feet of maple wood charcoal where it filters through drop by drop and is then collected and sent for ageing.

As with bourbon the whiskey must be aged in new charred oak barrels for at least two years.