The Wine Reference🍷 SupportTennessee: Tennessee whiskey
Tennessee whiskey is made like bourbon with one extra step, and is protected by state law.
How it's made
Before ageing, the new spirit is filtered through sugar-maple charcoal, known as the Lincoln County Process, which softens it.
Like bourbon, a mash of at least 51% corn with rye or wheat and malted barley is fermented, often with the sour-mash method, and distilled. The new spirit is then dripped through a thick layer of sugar maple charcoal, the Lincoln County Process, which softens it before it goes into the barrel.
History
Tennessee had many small distilleries in the 1800s; Jack Daniel's in Lynchburg claims to be the oldest registered in the USA, dating from 1866. Tennessee went dry in 1910, ten years before national Prohibition, and only a few distilleries came back afterwards.
Ageing and label terms
Aged in new charred oak barrels, like bourbon. Most bottlings carry no age statement; single-barrel and higher-strength bottlings are common.
Styles
Smooth, sweet and slightly sooty mainstream styles (Jack Daniel's, George Dickel), plus rye whiskeys and craft bottlings.
Rules and protected names
A Tennessee state law of 2013 says Tennessee Whiskey must be made in Tennessee from at least 51% corn, filtered through maple charcoal before ageing, aged in new charred oak, and bottled at no less than 40% ABV. Prichard's is exempt from the charcoal rule.
How to serve and classic cocktails
Neat, on ice or with cola. Classic drinks: Lynchburg Lemonade, Whiskey Sour and Old Fashioned.
With food
Barbecue ribs, pulled pork, Nashville hot chicken and pecan pie.
Good to know
Moore County, home of Jack Daniel's, is a dry county where sale of alcohol has long been restricted, although the distillery can sell its own whiskey on site.
Producers
- Jack Daniel's
- George Dickel
- Uncle Nearest
Bottles to try
Jack Daniel's Old No. 7
Mellow and sweet: banana, caramel, vanilla and charred oak.
Serve: With cola or on the rocks
George Dickel No. 12
Corn sweetness, caramel, maple and a light mineral note.
Strength: 45% · Age and cask: No age statement, new charred American oak
Dickel chills its spirit before filtering it through sugar-maple charcoal, a step the distillery says gives a smoother result. It spells whisky without the 'e', in the Scottish way.
Serve: Neat, on the rocks or in a highball
Jack Daniel's Gentleman Jack
Soft caramel, vanilla, banana and light toasted oak.
Strength: 40% · Age and cask: No age statement, new charred American oak
Unlike Old No. 7, Gentleman Jack is filtered through sugar maple charcoal twice: once before it goes into the barrel and again after ageing, which makes it especially smooth.
Serve: Neat, on ice or with ginger ale
Uncle Nearest 1856 Premium Whiskey
Caramel, butterscotch, vanilla, toasted oak and a long, warm finish.
Strength: 50% · Age and cask: No age statement, new charred American oak
The brand, launched in 2017, honours Nathan 'Nearest' Green, an enslaved man who taught the young Jack Daniel to distil and became the first known African-American master distiller in the USA. Like all Tennessee whiskey it is filtered through sugar-maple charcoal before ageing.
Serve: Neat, on ice or in an Old Fashioned
Jack Daniel's Single Barrel Select
Deep and toasty: caramel, vanilla, toasted oak, banana and a peppery finish.
Strength: 45% · Age and cask: No age statement, new charred American oak, one barrel per bottling
Each bottle comes from a single barrel picked by the tasters, often from the upper floors of the warehouses where the heat speeds up ageing. Like all Jack Daniel's, the spirit is filtered through sugar maple charcoal before it goes into wood.
Serve: Neat or on one large ice cube
Jack Daniel's Tennessee Rye
Lighter rye spice with banana, toffee, dried fruit and soft charred oak.
Strength: 45% · Age and cask: No age statement, new charred American oak
Made from a mash of 70% rye, 18% corn and 12% malted barley, then filtered through sugar-maple charcoal before ageing, like all Jack Daniel's whiskeys. It was the distillery's first new mash bill in more than a century.
Serve: Neat, in a highball, or in a Manhattan
More whisky regions
Explore all spirits in the interactive guide
The Wine Reference newsletter
New wines, stories and career guides, one email a week at most.
Over 18s only. Unsubscribe any time with one click. Your email is stored securely by Kit and never shared.
Support The Wine Reference
This guide is free, with no paywall. If it helped you choose a bottle, you can buy me a glass and keep it growing.
🍷 Buy me a glass