A Guide To Tennessee Whiskey

Amanda Macias/Business Insider 

  An Expert's Guide To Tennessee Whiskey -- Richard Carleton Hacker, Business Insider/Robb Report 

Too often when a bartender is asked which bourbons his or her bar carries, the list invariably includes Jack Daniel’s sour-mash Tennessee whiskey.

But as most residents of the Volunteer State know, Tennessee whiskey is an entirely different libation from bourbon, even though they share many traits.

Bourbon must be made in the United States, but contrary to popular belief, it can be made anywhere in the country.

It is by a unique combination of history and geography that 95 percent of all bourbon is now made in Kentucky—the Civil War, the realignment of state boundaries, and the proximity of waterways are among the reasons.

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My Comment: A rather brief summary of Tennessee Whiskey .... but still worth the read.

A Brand Of Whiskey From Texas?!?!?!

Finest New Whiskey In The World: Not From A Glen In Scotland But From Under A Bridge In Texas -- Forbes 

A quarter mile from downtown Waco, Texas, in a neighborhood of long abandoned storefronts, is a small, rusted-metal shed hidden beneath the 17th Street Bridge. The one-time welding shop sits in between the overpass’ enormous support pillars, next to a white trailer. It’s a safe bet none of the drivers know they’re speeding over the worldwide headquarters of Balcones Distilling, the maker of the finest new whiskey in America.

Founder Chip Tate stands inside across from two handmade copper stills. He is a small man who takes pride in his whiskey and in his thick black beard, which he combs often. A t-shirt stretches across his belly and a small knife hangs in its sheath at his belt. Tate dips a glass pipette into a vat and pours the liquid into tasting glasses. It is the unmatured form of his Texas Single Malt Whisky—Tate prefers the Scottish spelling, without the “e”—the drink that put Balcones on the map.

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My Comment: His business is booming .... good luck to him.

American Single-Malt Whiskeys Are Being Noticed

At Balcones Distillery, Alex Thomas stirs a wash of blue corn whiskey. Allison V. Smith for The New York Times

American Single-Malt Whiskeys Serve Notice -- New York Times

THE humid streets of Waco, Tex., may not have much in common with the misty glens of Scotland, home to some of the world’s best malt whiskeys.

Not much, that is, until last month, when a single-malt whiskey from the Balcones Distillery in Waco bested nine others, including storied Scottish names like the Balvenie and the Macallan, in a blind panel of British spirits experts.

It was the first time an American whiskey won the Best in Glass, a five-year-old competition to find the best whiskey released in a given year.

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My Comment: It's about time that someone is giving some competition to Scotch whiskey.

50-Year-Old Glenfiddich Single Malt Scotch Sells For $27,000

Lyle Schellenberg, left, recently bought a $27,000 bottle of Glenfiddich scotch at Southwest Portland's Hillsdale Liquor, owned by Bruce Randall, right. Rebecca Koffman/Special to The Oregonian.

Hillsdale Liquor Store Sells 50-Year-Old Bottle Of Scotch Whisky For $27,000 -- Oregon Live

A small crowd gathered at Hillsdale Liquor Store last week to mark the sale of the most expensive single bottle of alcohol in Oregon's history.

The 50-year-old Glenfiddich single malt Scotch comes in a bottle of hand blown glass. Its sterling silver collar is engraved with a picture of Queen Elizabeth II wearing an oversized crown.

It has a wax stamp bearing the number 183. It is part of a batch of 450 bottles released in groups of 50 between 2009 and 2017. The 2012 release commemorates the Queen's Diamond Jubilee.

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My Comment: He is not going to open the bottle.

The Rebirth Of Rye Whiskey

Templeton bottles, filled and almost corked. Noah Adams/NPR

The Rebirth Of Rye Whiskey And Nostalgia For 'The Good Stuff' -- NPR

It used to be said that only old men drink rye, sitting alone down at the end of the bar, but that's no longer the case as bartenders and patrons set aside the gins and the vodkas and rediscover the pleasures of one of America's old-fashioned favorites. Whiskey from rye grain was what most distilleries made before Prohibition. Then, after repeal in 1933, bourbon, made from corn, became more popular. Corn was easier to grow, and the taste was sweeter. To be sure, rye whiskey production is only a drop compared with the rivers of bourbon produced now, although rye whiskey sales have tripled in the past five years.

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My Comment: Ahhh .... the 'good stuff'. :)

The Secret Of Scotland's Islay Malt Whiskeys

The Secret Of Scotland's Islay Malt Whiskeys -- CBS  

(CBS News) We all know Scotch whisky comes from Scotland. But to true Scotch drinkers, just WHERE in Scotland makes all the difference. Willem Marx takes us on a tasting tour: At the outermost edge of Scotland's wild Atlantic coastline lies a small island with a big reputation. The Isle of Islay is called the "Queen of the Hebrides" for its natural beauty, and can seem rather a peaceful little spot. But the sleepy harbors, flowery meadows and ancient villages today play host to an increasingly global industry. While Jamaica is liked for its rums, and Madeira known for its sherries, this island is loved and famous for its unique-tasting Scotch whiskys, known as Islay malts. Islay has just over 3,000 year-round residents, but in their midst nine whisky distilleries are thriving.

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My Comment: Makes me want to move to Scotland

Century-Old Whiskey Bottles Found In Missouri Man's Attic

A Missouri man found bottles of nearly century old whiskey in his home that is being renovated. (William Seay/KQTV/ABC News)

Century-Old Whiskey Bottles Found in Missouri Man's Attic -- ABC News

To save money on the installation of central air-conditioning in his St. Joseph, Mo., home, Bryan Fite began replacing the wires in his attic, prying up the floor boards on the rafters. Along with possible savings, he found a treasure beneath the floorboards: 13 bottles of century-old whiskey.

Fite, 40, grew up in St. Joseph, and after working in Kansas City for several years, he returned to settle in his hometown in September 2011. The house he and his wife Emily Fite chose was built in the 1850s and needed work, Fite said.

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More News On Century-Old Whiskey Bottles Found in Missouri Man's Attic

Man uncovers secret stash of more than a DOZEN 1917 whiskey bottles in his attic 'left behind by alcoholic former homeowner' -- Daily Mail
Booze you can use: Man finds century-old bottles in attic -- New York Daily News
Pre-Prohibition booze found in Mo. attic -- UPI

My Comment: This whiskey is not worth that much money .... but it does have history behind it.

Instead Of Retiring, You Open A Whiskey Distillery

Photo: Mark Meyer. Adam Milliron

Whiskey Makes Retirement Easier -- Wall Street Journal

Some people dream of a retirement spent sipping whiskey in a rocking chair by the fire. During his retirement, Mark Meyer is spending 10 hours a day, seven days a week, making whiskey.

Founder of Wigle Whiskey, a distillery that crafts organic, artisan rye and wheat whiskeys, Mr. Meyer knew nothing about the spirits business before he got started two years ago.

"To be honest, I've woken up more than once in the middle of the night wondering what I'm doing," says the 61-year-old retired trial lawyer. "But I've learned by doing, and it has been an amazing experience."

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My Comment: I wish them luck.

Making Whiskey In Space

Photo: The unmatured whisky was mixed with charred oak on board the space station to see how low gravity affected the maturation process

Where No Dram Has Gone Before: Whisky Company Matures New Malt In Zero-G On The Space Station -- Daily Mail

* Whisky mixed with charcoal to see how zero-gravity affects flavours
* Mix will remain on Space Station for two years

The astronauts on the International Space Station are used to rocket fuel - but even so, a delivery of a container of rough, unmatured whisky must have come as a surprise.

Thankfully, the delivery was for an experiment, rather than an impromtu celebration, so the astronauts carried out their duties with their usual sober dedication.

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My Comment: It should produce an interesting smell and taste.

Drinking Irish Whiskey 101 (Video)

A Taste For Fake Whiskey

Scientists Develop Test for Fake Whiskey -- Voice of America

Two scientists in Scotland have developed a pocket-sized device to check whether whiskey is fake, using equipment originally developed to examine blood samples. They hope the techniques won’t just help the whisky industry clamp down on fakes which cost it hundreds of millions of dollars a year - but will also save lives.

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My Comment: I am all for technology that gives us the real thing.

The Canadian Whiskey Fungus

Photo: Caren Alpert

The Mystery Of The Canadian Whiskey Fungus -- Wired

The air outside a distillery warehouse smells like witch hazel and spices, with notes of candied fruit and vanilla—warm and tangy- mellow. It’s the aroma of fresh cookies cooling in the kitchen while a fancy cocktail party gets out of hand in the living room.

James Scott encountered that scent for the first time a decade ago in a town called Lakeshore, Ontario. Just across the river from Detroit, Lakeshore is where barrels of Canadian Club whiskey age in blocky, windowless warehouses. Scott, who had recently completed his PhD in mycology at the University of Toronto, had launched a business called Sporometrics. Run out of his apartment, it was a sort of consulting detective agency for companies that needed help dealing with weird fungal infestations. The first call he got after putting up his website was from a director of research at Hiram Walker Distillery named David Doyle.

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My Comment: And here I am .... thinking that mold was exclusively a grape/wine problem.