Davidson Reserve Tennessee Whiskey, the first four year old craft Tennessee whiskey made in Nashville since Prohibition, is arriving this week from Pennington Distilling Co.
While many craft whiskeys these days are, by default, sourced products, every step of the whiskey-making process for Pennington Distilling Co. happened at their facility.
The Tennessee Whiskey classification shares many stipulations with Bourbon Whiskey—both are made with at least 51 percent corn, both come off the still no higher than 160 proof, and go into a new charred oak barrel no higher than 125 proof.
The two additional stipulations required to use the Tennessee Whiskey label include charcoal filtration and of course, being made in Tennessee. For Davidson Reserve, Pennington started with a mashbill of 70 percent corn, 25 percent rye, and 5 percent malted barley (all sourced from nearby farms), distill it twice, mellow it through charcoal, then age for a minimum of 4 years in 53 gallon barrels before bottling at 100 proof.
Charcoal filtration, also known as the “Lincoln County Process,” filters whiskey fresh off the still through charcoal chips before barreling and aging. This strips the whiskey of certain flavors that some deem harsh, resulting in a smoother and more drinkable final product.
“We certainly love all our whiskey,” said Jeff Pennington, founder and President of Pennington Distilling Co. in a press release, “but it’s hard not to view our Tennessee whiskey as something just a little extra special. While bourbon can be made anywhere in the United States, Tennessee Whiskey is limited to just our state. This is something particularly unique, and there are just a few current producers who make Tennessee whiskey.”
Davidson Reserve Tennessee Whiskey is joining Davidson Reserve Rye and Davidson Reserve Four Grain as a permanent member of the Pennington Distilling Co. family of bottles. It will be available in Nashville bars and liquor stores this week for a suggested price of $40, but more states will be added to their distribution soon.
