Understanding Tennessee Whiskey
Tennessee’s designation requires manufacture in Tennessee, at least 51% corn, distillation at no more than 160 proof, and aging in new charred oak barrels in Tennessee entered at no more than 125 proof. Bottling must be at least 80 proof. Maple-charcoal filtration before aging is the general rule. These requirements do not make every rye or malt whiskey distilled in the state “Tennessee Whiskey.”
The statute’s subsection (c) contains a narrow filtration exception tied to the county’s 1979 referendum and the distillery’s 2000 licensing window. It is not a general exemption for small distillers. The separate 36-month transition in subsection (d) is historical, not an ongoing waiver.
Tennessee General Assembly: HB 1084 / Public Chapter 341 (2013), requirements and exception • Tenn. Code § 57-2-106(a), (c)–(d), codified text
Read the bottle’s full designation and underlying federal classification together. Federal whiskey and geographic designations: 27 CFR § 5.143(a)–(c)
The Whiskies
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