Tennessee Whiskey is a specific type of whiskey produced in Tennessee. Using the same production method as Bourbon (grain mixture that’s at least 51% corn, aged in new charred oak containers), Tennessee Whiskey also generally undergoes the Lincoln County Process, where it’s filtered through sugar-maple charcoal giving it a mellower, charcoal quality often referred to as “charcoal mellowing”. The sugar maple charcoal used in Tennessee Whiskey is typically made seasonally on the premises of the distilleries by burning sugar maple trees.
While the Lincoln County Process is generally required for a whiskey to be labeled as a Tennessee Whiskey, there is one producer of Tennessee Whiskey who does not meet these requirements yet still label their bottles as Tennessee Whiskey. Prichard’s Tennessee Whiskey does not go through the Lincoln County Process, but was granted an exception allowing them to produce Tennessee Whiskey without going through the Lincoln County Process.
Popular Tennessee Whiskey makers include Jack Daniel’s, George Dickel, Heaven’s Door Spirits, Collier and McKeel, Nelson’s Green Briar, and Prichard’s.
Whiskies made in Tennessee, but do not meet the 51% corn or Lincoln County Process requirements for Tennessee Whiskey are typically sold as Tennessee Rye Whiskey or Tennessee Corn Whiskey.
