Discovering Lost State Distilling in the Birthplace of Country Music

It's been a number of years since I visited Bristol Tennessee-Virginia and loved spending time on State Street during the MLB's Speedway Classic. After a mandatory lunch at the historic Burger Bar we walked across the border to visit Lost State Distilling -  a small, but prolific producer of Tennessee whiskey, bourbon, vodka, gin, rum, and canned cocktails. The distillery resides in a century old building sitting just below the famed State Street sign and across from the historic Bristol Train Station. It has been operating for about five years - and somehow I had missed them during my last trip to the Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion music festival.  Along with a mixture of Braves and Reds fans we participated in a short tour of their facility given by co-owner Joe Bianchi (who's son Nick is the other co-owner and head distiller) which concluded with the ability to sample their entire portfolio. 

The operation is named after  the "lost" State of Franklin where in 1784 the area of now Northeast Tennessee was offered to the Union from North Carolina as payment for debts from the American War for Independence. The cession was not accepted, and the residents of the territory seceded from North Carolina to become the State of Franklin. Unfortunately after 4 years North Carolina rescinded its offer of cession and fought to reclaim the now seceded lands. This event set the stage for Tennessee becoming an independent state in 1796 and according to the distillery, "Lost State Distilling’s products are made 'with uniqueness in mind' and 'represent the heritage of Appalachia'."

Lost State operates two different stills depending on the intended spirit. The whiskies run through a larger column still whereas the rum, gin, and vodka run through a smaller pot-column hybrid.  Their barrel room is larger than expected with a heavy investment in new American oak barrels used for both the bourbon and charcoal filtered Tennessee whiskey. There are also rows of secondary use barrels for their gold rum and other offerings. 

We decided to focus on the rum and vodka during our tasting and eventually purchased bottles of the  Nolichucky Jack Silver Rum and Andiron Vodka. The vodka is a pleasant 100% corn expression with a slight sweetness and creamy texture.  The Nolichucky Jack Silver Rum is distilled from 100% panela mash, which is evaporated sugar cane juice sourced from Columbia. This gives it a distinct flavor profile characterized vanilla and butterscotch and at 80 proof - very little burn. The rum is named after John Sevier, the only governor of the State of Franklin, and given the nickname "Nolichucky Jack" for his expeditions along the Nolichucky River.  A variant of the silver rum is the Nolichucky Jack Gold Rum, made by aging the silver rum in used Franklin Four Straight Bourbon Whiskey barrels for just over a year. At 90 proof, this expression is hotter and more inducive to cocktails as opposed to a sipping rum. However, we preferred the silver. 

Next visit we will focus on their whiskey which include a Bottled In Bond Tennessee Whiskey as well as cask strength, straight, and white whiskies. 

Exploring Virginia Beer at the Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion

After a couple years off we attended the 2021 Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion music festival which is one of the liveliest festivals. Held in the Birthplace of Country Music the festival showcases music on venues located on both the Virginia and Tennessee sides of State Street. COVID definitely affected this year's lineup but the organizers were still able to schedule fantastic artists over the three days. The festival targets local and national artists with special attention to Texas musicians. We heard great performances by Yarn, The Steel Wheels, Folk Soul Revival, Big Daddy Love, Town Mountain, and Blackberry Smoke. In addition, John Anderson and Hayes Carll represented Texas and we loved that Carll covered Ray Wylie Hubbard's Drunken Poet's Dream.

We acted like drunken poets at two Bristol breweries located within the festival's parameter. State Street Brewing Company is a relatively new brewery with outside seating accessible to hear the Country Music Mural stage or the continuous music at the Delta Blues BBQ.  The brewery opened a few years ago in the former Hayes Furniture building on the Commonwealth side of State Street and utilizes the 20,000-square-foot building to its fullest. Expect a spacious seating area and a long bar that runs parallel to the brewing equipment. There's enough diversity in their portfolio for all types of tastes - and for morning music we went with the Long Tom Peanut Butter Porter. In the afternoon we transitioned to their Dad Hat Kolsh and Splash Berliner Weiss before ending the evenings with the Cosmos Imperial IPA. 

We've visited Bristol Station Brews & Taproom a few times and it was great to see the brewery within the festival adjacent to the Piedmont stage.  Folk Soul Revival paired with the Piedmont Pilsner as fans are slightly bitter to their breakup and that matched the beer's profile. The Bristol Helle Raiser fit the Hayes Carll set and would have worked with 49 Winchester if we weren't late. It wasn't the Blue Mountain Steel Wheels ESB but the Bearded Goat Bock hit similar notes as the band's Rain in The Valley. And in the evening, give us the Wil's Lucky Dunkelweisen. 

 The BRRR will be back in our regular rotation. Look forward to visiting these and other area winery and breweries until then with theCompass Craft Beverage Finder. Cheers. 

Beer at the Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion

For those attending the Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion next weekend (September 16-18), there will be plenty of local beer options to pair with the always talented music lineup.  Two breweries, Bristol Brewery and Studio Brew are located within (or just lining) the festival boundaries and Abingdon's Wolf Hills Brewing Company is available at several beer gardens and establishments.

Bristol Brewery is located adjacent to the Piedmont Stage so appropriately their Piedmont Pilsner is an appropriate choice for daytime listening. For the headliners such as Buddy Guy and Cracker go for the Sunset IPA.

Studio Brew's visible brick home is situated across the street from Cumberland Square Park and one hopes they will be pouring at the beer garden near that stage. I'd stay away from their higher abv barrel aged beers until after hours when Unknown Hinson and Houndmouth blast. the stage. During the day dance along with Scythian the hydrate with a pilsner and wit.

There are several other beers and breweries that should be available. I can't remember which venue poured the Wolf Hills Cream Ale but expect that beer to be available somewhere within the grounds. Or plan a detour into Abingdon on your drive down Friday.  In the past, Highland Brewing Company has had a presence and I would think the Devils Backbone will this year due to the monopoly distribution from ABI.  In any case, take advantage of the many shuttles to the area hotels and drink local craft beer. And remember, theCompass Winery, Brewery, Distillery Locator Mobile App has you covered for finding local breweries. Cheers.