Tennessee Whiskey History
Tennessee Whiskey—it’s fine for sipping on a warm summer evening, or for that matter, a chilly winter one. Most people have heard of Jack Daniel’s, or even George Dickel. But what, exactly is Tennessee whiskey, and how is it different from other whiskeys? Let’s start by taking a look at the process of creating this American classic.
How is Tennessee Whiskey Made?
Tennessee whiskey starts with a mash of corn, barley, and rye. The grains are ground at the distillery before being cooked, then cooled in mash tubs with spring water. The mash is then soured by the addition of “spent beer”. Spent beer is a portion of fermented mash left over from the previous distillation. This helps maintain consistency from batch to batch, as whiskey begets whiskey!
After the addition of the fermented mash, the batch is pumped into a fermentation vat and infused with yeast. The yeast converts the natural sugars found in the grains into alcohol, producing a bubbling, golden vat of fermenting mash over the course of three to four days. At this point, the mash contains about 6% alcohol and is called “distiller’s beer”.
Next, the distiller’s beer is pumped into a column still which separates whiskey from beer using live steam. Because alcohol has a lower boiling point than water, it will separate from the water and the grain. The whiskey is then distilled again in a pot-still doubler, revaporizing the liquid into a lighter, more pure form. Now it is ready to be filtered through sugar maple charcoal — this is one of the defining elements that makes a whiskey "Tennessee Whiskey”. This process is called the Lincoln County Process, after Lincoln County, Tennessee, where it originated. The maple charcoal gives the whiskey a flavor that distinguishes it from other whiskeys and bourbons.
To make the sugar maple charcoal, first the maple trees are cut in the winter months, when the sugar is most concentrated in the wood. The wood is seasoned and cut into strips, then burned to create charcoal. The resulting charcoal is crushed and packed into a mellowing vat and the whiskey is filtered through it — a process that can take up to ten days.
Finally, the whiskey is aged in oak barrels. The inside of the barrels are charred to caramelize the wood sugars. Due to seasonal expansion and contraction of the wood, the whiskey slowly moves in and out of this charred layer, which gives it additional color and flavor. This process continues for several years — the exact number depends on the brand and label.
Who Makes Tennessee Whiskey?
George Dickel
George Dickel #12 Premium Tennessee Whiskey
George Dickel, a label now owned by Guinness Stout’s United Distillers, is considered by many to be the best Tennessee whiskey currently on the market. George Dickel has been distilled in Cascade Hollow, about halfway between Nashville and Chattanooga, since 1870. Legend says that Mr. Dickel noticed that the whiskey he made in the winter was smoother than the whiskey he made in the summer — and deduced that cold temperatures help whiskey to filter more fully. For many years, he only operated his distillery in the winter! (Today the whiskey is mechanically chilled for year-round production.) Because he considered his whiskey to be as smooth as the finest Scotch, George Dickel decided to spell “Tennesee Whisky” on his labels without the “e” to keep with Scotch whisky tradition.
Unlike Jack Daniel, George Dickel was a married man with a not-too-exciting private life. After his death in 1894 at the age of 76, his wife Augusta managed the business with the help of relatives. In 1910, a decade before national Prohibition, Tennessee became a dry state. George Dickel moved production to Kentucky—but in 1919, Prohibition closed that facility as well. It wasn’t until 1958 that Master Distiller Ralph Dupps rebuilt the distillery and recreated George Dickel’s recipe.
Jack Daniel’s
Jack Daniel's #7
Jack Daniel’s is an industry giant, selling 9.5 million cases of Tennessee whiskey per year. Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey is made with cave spring water from the site of the distillery. The Jack Daniel Distillery was licensed in 1866, making it the oldest registered distillery in the United States and a National Historic Site.
Because Daniel never married or had children of his own, after his death the distillery passed on to a favored nephew, Lem Motlow. Motlow went on to become a Tennessee state senator, and as a senator helped to repeal Prohibition laws that shut down the distillery in the early part of the 20th century. During World War II the US government banned the manufacture of whiskey, but Motlow resumed production of Jack Daniels again in 1947. Today, in addition to their classic Tennessee whiskey, Jack Daniel’s offers Single Barrel Whiskey, Gentleman’s Jack, and a line of cocktails.
The Legacy of Jack Daniel
“Jack Daniel” is the first thing that pops to mind when most people think of Tennessee whiskey, and for good reason — Daniel was immensely popular and larger than life, and made a liquor to match!
Jack Daniel’s origins are a bit fuzzy. One of thirteen children, he was probably born in 1846 (although his tombstone says 1850). As a young boy he lived with the Reverend Dan Call, a Lutheran preacher, general store owner, and whiskey distiller. According to legend, Daniel bought the still from Call as a young teenager.
A brilliant marketer, Jack Daniels assembled a memorable, trademark costume early in life and was never caught without it. His iconic knee-length coat, vest, tie, and wide-brim planter’s hat became the image of whiskey. He also marketed his whiskey with the help of a ten-man silver cornet band which played at every bar opening, holiday celebration, and political gathering in X County. In 1904, Jack Daniel entered his whiskey in the taste competition at the St. Louis World’s Fair and won.
Old Number 7 Origin
The best-known and most popular whiskey produced by Jack Daniel’s is Old No 7. There are many stories about how this name came about: some say Jack had seven girlfriends; others, that he thought 7 was the luckiest number. One story tells us that Jack was honoring a friend who owned seven stores (in which he sold Old No. 7!) Another, that Jack misplaced a batch of whiskey for seven years, then named it “Old No. 7” when it turned up. According to Daniel’s biographer Peter Krass, however, Jack was once assigned the number 7 as a district tax assessment. Later, when the IRS consolidated districts in Tennessee, they changed his number to 16. Always a rule breaker, Daniel’s insisted on leaving the “Old” number 7 on his bottles.
Another trademark of Jack Daniel’s whiskey is the square-sided bottle, which Daniel felt represented him as a “square” and honest dealer! It also had the great advantage of refusing to roll, resulting in fewer broken bottles due to accidents. The square bottle is a perfect example of Daniel’s style—it set him apart from the crowd, showed off his unique style, and made him lots of money.
Prohibition in Tennessee
Prohibition occurred in Tennessee years before it went nationwide. In 1910, companies where given only a year to dismantle their operations. Because of this both brands of Tennessee whiskey had to move production to other states. Jack Daniel’s was moved to Missouri and Alabama where distilleries are still present to this day. George Dickel’s distillery moved from Cascade Hollow, Tennessee to Hopkinsville, Kentucky. Then in 1919, prohibition became a federal law and both distilleries had to be closed.
Nearly four decades later, in 1947, Motlow resumed Jack Daniel’s production as soon as enough quality corn was available. George Dickel whisky, however, did not start production again until 1958. The Master Distiller at the time, Ralph Dupps, rebuilt the George Dickel Distillery about 3/4s of a mile away from the original site in Cascade Hollow. He also had to obtain the original recipe from Dickel’s original manuscripts.
The Future of Tennessee Whiskey
For decades, the only two brands of Tennessee whiskey on the market have been Jack Daniel’s and George Dickel. Just last year, however, the Tennessee General Assembly changed laws that had previously limited the manufacture of spirits to only three counties, opening up the way for new, smaller distilleries to produce Tennessee whiskeys. The new law stipulates that distillery license holders must have a $500,000 startup bond to enter the business, which means we shouldn’t look for homemade moonshine on the store shelves anytime soon.
So far, only one contender has stepped up to the plate: Andrew Webber, owner of Kentucky’s Corsair Artisan Distillery, plans to open a distillery in Nashville in the near future. In the past, Webber has experimented with such products as smoked whiskey, spiced rum, and American gin at his Kentucky facility. The world of spirits is waiting with baited breath to see what innovations he and other newcomers will bring to the distinguished, delicious tradition of authentic Tennessee whiskey.
Tour the Distilleries
Both Dickle's and Daniel's distilleries are open for public viewing, but ironically, are located in dry counties, so it is illegal to buy the whiskey there. Jack Daniel’s is located in Moore County, Tennessee and George Dickel’s is located in Coffee County, Tennessee.
