Whiskey produced in the State of Tennessee gains its own designation as a specific style of American Whiskey. Famously home to Jack Daniels, Tennessee has 31 distilleries on it the majority of which are small-batch craft distilleries.
Although Tennessee Whiskey usually meets the Federal requirements to be labelled as Bourbon, the distilleries have decided not to market their spirits under that name, preferring the more specific Tennessee Whiskey designation.
Tennessee Whiskey Requirements
The official definition of Tennessee whiskey is governed at a Federal level by the North American Free Trade Agreement, and require it to be “a straight Bourbon whiskey authorized to be produced only in the State of Tennessee”. Therefore the requirements to label a spirit as Tennessee Whiskey are;
- Produced entirely in the State of Tennessee
- Distilled from a fermented mash of water, yeast and a mix of grains with a minimum of 51% corn
- Must be aged for a minimum of two years in new oak barrels which are charred on the inside.
- And bottled at a minimum of 40% ABV (80 proof)