What is Tennessee whiskey?

Tennessee whiskey goes through an extra step that bourbon does not have: the new distillate seeps through a bed of sugar maple charcoal before it goes into the cask.

Tennessee state law prescribes that filtering. The federal rules say nothing about it. On the other points the requirements are close to each other: at least 51 percent corn in the mash, distilling to at most 80 percent alcohol, and maturing in new oak casks with a toasted interior.

Tennessee whiskey usually meets all the federal requirements for bourbon, but most producers do not put the word bourbon on the label.

The federal standards for spirits do not recognise a separate category of Tennessee whiskey. Anyone who meets the requirements for bourbon may use that word. State law adds a stricter requirement on top and ties the name to the place of production. The label therefore follows two tracks at once: a federal type designation and a state requirement.

Filtering through maple charcoal lets the freshly distilled spirit trickle down through a bed of charcoal before the cask goes to work.

The step is called the Lincoln County Process in the trade. Tennessee law only prescribes that it happens, not how long it takes and not how thick the charcoal bed must be. Producers fill that in themselves. What happens afterwards goes as with bourbon: new oak, toasted on the inside, filled at no more than 125 proof.

On the label of Tennessee whiskey, the name of the state appears with the type designation, usually as Tennessee Whiskey or Tennessee Sour Mash Whiskey.

If an age is stated, according to the American tax authority TTB only time in new charred oak casks counts. In the European Union, Article 13 of Regulation (EU) 2019/787 prescribes that an age on the label always refers to the youngest component in the bottle. On that point, two bottles with the same number are therefore comparable.

In an old fashioned, Tennessee whiskey takes the place of the bourbon or the rye from the official recipe of the International Bartenders Association.

Dat recept vraagt om 45 milliliter bourbon of rye whiskey, een suikerklontje, een paar scheuten angostura en een paar scheuten water. Wie Tennessee whiskey kiest, houdt dezelfde verhoudingen aan. Alcohol is niets voor wie jonger is dan achttien: NIX18.