Whiskey filtered through sugar maple charcoal before barrelling, which is what makes it mellow and sweet rather than sharp. The Lincoln County Process defines it; Jack Daniel’s registered its Lynchburg distillery in 1866, and Tennessee wrote the charcoal step into law in 2013.
Distilling is illegal without a licence, and the product is legally defined by the charcoal step and by years in new charred oak.
What goes into it
- corn, at least 51 percent, with rye and malted barley
- yeast
- sugar maple charcoal
- new charred oak barrels
How it is made
The grain mash is fermented, often with sour mash — backset from a previous distillation — and distilled. The new spirit is then dripped slowly through several feet of sugar maple charcoal, which strips out congeners before it ever reaches wood. It then ages in new charred oak barrels for years in a warehouse where the seasons drive it in and out of the wood.
How long it takes: days to ferment and distil, then a minimum of two years in new oak
How it is eaten
Neat, on ice, or in a highball with cola.
History
The Lincoln County Process defines it; Jack Daniel’s registered its Lynchburg distillery in 1866, and Tennessee wrote the charcoal step into law in 2013.
Frequently asked questions
What is Tennessee whiskey?
Tennessee whiskey is a wine & spirit from United States: whiskey filtered through sugar maple charcoal before barrelling, mellow and sweet. The Lincoln County Process defines it; Jack Daniel’s registered its Lynchburg distillery in 1866, and Tennessee wrote the charcoal step into law in 2013.
How is Tennessee whiskey made?
The grain mash is fermented, often with sour mash — backset from a previous distillation — and distilled. The new spirit is then dripped slowly through several feet of sugar maple charcoal, which strips out congeners before it ever reaches wood. It then ages in new charred oak barrels for years in a warehouse where the seasons drive it in and out of the wood. It takes days to ferment and distil, then a minimum of two years in new oak.
Can I make Tennessee whiskey at home?
No, and the atlas gives no method for it. Distilling is illegal without a licence, and the product is legally defined by the charcoal step and by years in new charred oak.
What goes into Tennessee whiskey?
Corn, at least 51 percent, with rye and malted barley, yeast, sugar maple charcoal, new charred oak barrels.
How is Tennessee whiskey eaten?
Neat, on ice, or in a highball with cola.
