East Tennessee History at Old Tennessee Distilling Company

Sevierville is a popular exit off Route 40, not only because it is nestled in the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains and feeds into Pigeon Forge & Gatlinburg but because, itself, has multiple tourist attractions such as hiking, rafting, kayaking, Brass Pro, Buc-ee's, Tennessee Smokies MiLB, Harley Davidson, and, of course, Old Tennessee Distilling Company.

This distillery was first known as Thunder Road Distillery when it debuted in 2014 but rebranded to Old Tennessee Distilling Co. in Jan 2019 in order to "celebrate the culture, people, history and spirits of this great state". And during a visit make sure you take time to learn about this history. For instance, their Dumplin Creek brand of moonshine, vodka and gin honors the Treaty of Dumplin Creek: the last treaty of the State of Franklin and the Great Cherokee Nation. This treaty ceded the territory now known as East Tennessee to residents of the unrecognized proposed state that eventually returned to North Carolina. In addition, their Caldonia Fackler Johnson Rum brand celebrates the life of this former slave who became a prominent Knoxville racetrack and saloon owner. By the time of his death, he was one of the wealthiest African-Americans in the state.

Old Tennessee Distilling Company specializes in farm to bottle spirits made from "local ingenuity and produce". Their master distillers (Dwight Bearden, Adam Gratz, & Kent Merritt) use "recipes handed down through the generations to create whiskey, moonshine, gin, vodka and bourbon that honors the name “Tennessee” on every label". One of these is their Apple Brandy, distilled from Gala apples based on a recipe from a member of the Moonshiner's show, and full of bright apple flavors. For the moonshine, their Coffee was my favorite. And don't overlook their Corn Whiskey which is distilled from 100% corn mash. 

Judging at the World Whiskies Awards

Earlier this month the BevFluence team was invited to participate as judges in the Whisky Magazine Awards America 2022. The awards ceremony, in association with American Whiskey Magazine, will be held on February 8th, 2022 at The Flatiron Room in New York City. The judging occurred on November 11th, 2021 at the whiskey haven Jack Rose Dining Saloon in Washington DC. During this tasting, 32 judges sampled through 250 American whiskeys divided into 17 categories. The judges reflected a large cross-section of the spirits industry including distillers and distillery owners, writers and educators, as well as other industry professionals. The categories were very specific and consisted of Blended, Blended Limited Release, Small Batch Single Malt, Bourbon, Blended Malt, Rye, Tennessee, Corn, Flavoured Whisky, New Make & Young Spirit, Pot Still, Wheat, Single Malt, Single Barrel Bourbon, Small Batch Bourbon, Single Cask Single Malt, and Grain. We will post the winners two months from now. Cheers.

Tenth Ward Distilling Company and Christmas in Frederick

Christmas is celebrated in remarkable fashion on December Saturday nights in Frederick Maryland with lighted streets, smores stations, photo ops, boat lights, and local craft beverages like those produced by Tenth Ward Distilling Company. The name “Tenth Ward” is a reference to the division of Frederick City during the late 19th century and recently the distillery moved to that city's historic epicenter: near Patrick and Market Streets. On a placard located just down Patrick Street from Tenth Ward is a copy of the only known photograph of Confederate troops as they marched through Frederick, most likely on their way towards either Antietam or Gettysburg.

This woman-owned distillery - thanks to Monica Pearce -- produces an interesting range of spirits like Smoked Corn Whiskey, Caraway Rye, Genever Style Gin, Applejack, and Absinthe. This last shows its quality by turning cloudy and releasing aromatic while using the French method of a water drip with a sugar cube. The Smoke Corn Whiskey was polarizing with most overwhelmed by the firepit flavor, yet I thought it had an interesting Mezcal feel. Its main focus seems to be as a cocktail ingredient like the Perfect Penicillin and Triple Smoked Toddy.

Like our previous post on The Albeisa Bottle, in this age of global conglomerates dominating the inputs to the craft beverage industries, Tenth Ward support local farmers and industries. All the grain is grown and malted at Ripon Lodge Farm in Ripon West Virginia. The apples are sourced from local McCutcheon’s Apple Products.  Other local sources are Orchid Cellar for mead and Hay’s Apiary for honey. Used barrels are obtained from Fredericksburg's A. Smith Bowman Distillery whereas new barrels are derived from Michigan's The Barrel Mill. And finally, as most craft beverage bottles are produced by three international conglomerates, Tenth Ward sources their bottles from Piramal Glass out of the Park Hills, MO manufacturing plant.

Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, and cheers to a safe and healthy New Year.

River Hill Wine and Spirits - From Moonshine to Bourbon to Country Wine

I couple years ago I started purchasing the River Hill Distillery Corn Whiskey as it provides a clean, textured, sweet corn flavor with little burn. Hard to do that at 100 proof, but old family recipes have their secrets.  An opportunity occurred this month while driving past Lurey Caverns and suddenly realizing we were close to River Hill and theCompass Craft Beverage Finder provided quick navigation. That's when I discovered that the distillery had re-branded to River Hill Wine and Spirits since they also produce a range of country wines.

Proprietor Fred Foley greeted me when entering the tasting room and we discussed the origins of the operation and the distilling process during a short tour. He and his wife Ann board horses, raise beef cattle and grow corn to feed these cattle. After a few years of excess corn in 2013, they spent a year applying for a distillery license and in 2014 started distilling corn whiskey.

River Hill now produces three whiskeys, the clear 100 proof 100% corn whiskey mentioned above and two bourbon whiskeys. Each is double distilled, once through a new still and the second through their original still where the condensation coils are threaded within a copper pipe. Very ingenious.

The original River Hill Bourbon Whiskey ($25) is produced from a corn-dominated mash bill with the addition of roasted barley that Foley smokes himself in an outdoor smoker. This is a very smooth whiskey, cut to 90 proof,  with a slight smoky and spicy profile due to eight months aging in new American (Minnesota) oak barrels. And recently they released a new bourbon, the River Hill 100 Bourbon Whiskey ($39) -- 100 proof and 100% corn aged in new oak barrels. This was a first - there's some burn but it's toward the front with the sweet corn blending with vanilla notes from the oak  Very interesting.

Ann handles the wine tasting as they must separate both endeavors within the same facility. Each wine sells for $15, resides around 10% r.s., and except for the Pineapple is sourced from the farm or locally in the valley. The sugar doesn't seem to come into play as the individual fruit character dominates each wine. The grape wines are a traditional Concord and Niagara; the fruit an Apple (Golden Delicious), Peach, and the Pineapple. And as a special offering, they produce a Sweet Potato wine after a neighbor had an abundant surplus. The potatoes had to be shredded and boiled with the resulting juice fermented. But it works and is very intriguing. Cheers to River Hill.

Springfield Manor Winery Distillery Brewery - A Free State First

On our many trips home from Catoctin Breeze Vineyards, we've always noticed Springfield Manor Winery Distillery Brewery as we traveled south on Route 15 passed Thurmont and Cunningham Falls State Park. Perched on a small hill overlooking the highway and farmland, this multi-purpose 1775 era farmhouse has a few firsts in the Free State. It was the first post-prohibition legal distillery in Maryland holding license #001. There were a couple spirits that were bottled previously, but Springfield Manor was the first to distill in Maryland. Their corn and grain spirits (Bourbon, Rye Whiskey, Corn Whiskey, & Caramel Corn Whiskey) consist all or partly from corn grown on their 130 acre farm. The fruit brandies are produced from locally sourced fruit and the Grappa from Merlot and Cabernet Franc pomace (the skins, pulp, seeds, and stems left over from winemaking after pressing the grapes).

Springfield Manor initially started operating as a winery to augment their event venue with the Ironmaster as a signature blend of the Merlot and Cabernet Franc. The later is also bottled as a single varietal which join the Ironmaster, Ironmaster Reserve, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, and Blanc De Rosa (rose) as dry offerings. They also utilize the hybrids Chambourcin and Traminette as well as offer two Farmhouse house wines and a Frizante sparkling wine.

Finally, Springfield Manor became the first establishment in the state to not only produce their own spirits and wine, but also beer as they incorporated a 7bbl brewhaus. With this small brewing system, expect a range of rotating drafts using the Manor's signature spring water.

On our visit, we skipped the wines in order to enjoy a beer flight while listening to the live music of Nick Andrew Staver. This flight consisted of the Citrus IPA, Toasted Nut Job Stout, Summer-Set Blonde and Sunshine Station Pale Ale. A solid lineup. We then moved downstairs for a spirits tasting and Springfield Manor accentuates the fact that their Lavender Gin was awarded a Double Gold & Best Of Class from the San Francisco World Spirits Competition.  And it is a complex gin. We also enjoyed their Patriot Rum distilled from pure molasses and the Grappa. We will have to return in mid-January 2019 when they re-open for the season in order to sample their remaining spirits.

As always local wineries, breweries, and distilleries  can be visited while using theCompass Craft Beverage Finder. Sorry iPhone 11 iOS and iPhones 5S and greater users. Cheers.

Visiting Palmetto Moonshine's Myrtle Beach Facility

It is a popular concept for craft beverage makers to open satellite tasting rooms in popular tourist destinations with one of these being Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Recently Duplin Winery opened a facility in North Myrtle following the success of Palmetto Moonshine three years ago south of town. Brothers Trey and Bryan Boggs have been instrumental in the growing craft spirits market by first crafting the Palmetto State's first legal moonshine and then by leveraging the larger seashore tourism market to expand distribution.

The distillery's spirits are still produced in their original Anderson location, but the original still is now a water fountain in Myrtle. A $5 tasting fee provides samples of their White Lightning Moonshine, four flavored shines, and the Palmetto Whiskey ($35, 88.3 Proof). Starting with the whiskey, it was a pleasant surprise, with combinations of spice, caramel, vanilla, and finishing with a slight burn. This complexity starts with the mash bill of 21% rye and 51% corn and malted barley with additional flavors from aging less than two years in new French oak. The unique bottle honors the South Carolina Dispensary, a state controlled monopoly on liquor sales in South Carolina which operated from 1893-1915. The Dispensary employed glass makers and craftsmen that created bottles unique to the Palmetto State and what many consider to be works of art. The bottles being produced from 1893-1900 featured an embossed palmetto tree with crossed logs under the base of the trunk. A nice addition to the bar or a gift.

The various moonshines were also tasty, starting with the flagship Palmetto Moonshine White Lightning ($29, 105 proof). The Palmetto Moonshine is an "un-aged corn whiskey made from a recipe handed down from generations of moonshiners and produced using our custom copper still built by a 5th generation moonshiner". It is smooth even at this high alcohol level with traces of sweet corn. The flavored shines are all $29 and cut to 45 proof with local fruit juices. The Peach and Strawberry were our favorites as the Blackberry and Apple were too jammy and sweet for our tastes.I'd much rather return home with one of these than a lousy T-shirt. Cheers and as always theCompass Craft Beverage Finder will guide you to these destinations.

Spirits Review: Troy & Sons Platinum Corn Whiskey

Asheville North Carolina is rapidly becoming a major player in the craft brewery scene, but it also includes a few distilleries - which is not surprising considering it's Appalachian location. One of these is Asheville Distilling Company and their Troy & Sons brand. In 2008, owner Troy Ball started researching local moonshine recipes both in person and through the North Carolina State Archives. Her goal was to recreate the "keeper" moonshines - smooth with little to no burn. Once perfecting her recipe she opened the distillery in 2011 with the brand name incorporating her three sons: Marshall, Coulton, and Luke.

The Troy & Sons Platinum ($32) is 100% corn whiskey uniquely made with Crooked Creek Corn, an open-pollinated heirloom white corn, that is grown locally in the mountains of Western North Carolina. In fact, the corn was first farmed by earlier generations of the same family in the late 1700’s. After testing, it was recognized as an heirloom variety thought to be lost in the mid 1800's. As expected of a "keeper" moonshine, this whiskey is very smooth and starts with lightly toasted caramel which persists alongside stone fruits and Christmas spices. Very complex. And very appealing.

The Spirits of the Smokies - Gatlinburg, Tennessee

We had planned a trip to the Tennessee side of the Smokey Mountains not realizing that one of the entrances, Gatlinburg, is the equivalent of a seaside boardwalk. The main street includes a rather intriguing aquarium, miniature golf,  sweet shops, stores, tourist traps and plenty of distilleries. Many times I heard the phrase "Disney for Adults". Unlike the Commonwealth there are no limits to shine tastings and each distillery provides a bit of entertainment - from the comical tasting staff to live music. These distilleries are all withing walking distance and more importantly distill their products on site; and in most you can see the shine or whiskey being distilled.

The Doc Collier Moonshine Distillery is based on the moonshine legend William "Doc" Collier's corn and sugar shine recipe. They claim to be the only Certified Craft Distillery in town and promote the pure English Mountain spring water. The spirits are only single distilled and the flavored shines utilize strictly juices and no artificial flavors and extracts. Thus, the straight shines were rather harsh - spicy with plenty of burn. Yet the flavored were quite good - even though I normally shy away from that style. The produce the always popular Apple Pie, Sweet Tea, Blackberry, Peach, Cherry, and Firecracker. The Peach and Blackberry were excellent with the former perhaps the best flavored shine I've tasted.

 I had the best experience at Sugarlands Distilling Company with James leading our group through a hilarious tasting. The distillery produces over a dozen mostly flavored shines many based off recipes from the Discovery Channel's Moonshiners series. For instance, there's Tickle’s Dynamite Cinnamon, Mark Rogers American Peach, Mark & Digger's Rye Apple, and Jim Tom Hedrick’s Unaged Rye. In addition, their Appalachian Apple Pie is probably the best offering. I went home with Jim Tom's shine - basically being a fan of the series.

Ole Smoky Moonshine operates two distilleries in Gatlinburg, "The Holler" and the Ole Smokey Barrelhouse - where the Ole Smoky Whiskey is made and laid to age. They claim that the Holler is America's most visited distillery and you've probably seen the distillery's television commercials. The staff was friendly and entertaining at both locations and at the Holler we listened to live music when tasting. Ole Smoky produces a plethora of flavored moonshine and whiskey - many that are only available at the distillery. I wasn't particularly a fan of most of these with the exception of the Mountain Java. For some reason that one spoke to me. I was also pleased with their straight shines, the Original (100 proof) and Blue Flame (128 proof), both clean and smooth at such high alcohol content.

Spirits Review: Tim Smith's Climax Moonshine

I'm sure most of you are familiar with the Discovery Channel's Moonshiners series and have followed Tim Smith's quest to transition from outlaw to lawful distiller. Well, I finally procured a bottle of his Tim Smith's Climax Moonshine ($35, 45%). The whiskey is made at Belmont Farm Distillery, "the First Craft Distillery of American Whiskey in the United States" - located in Culpeper Virginia. The mash bill is a secret but includes corn, rye and barley malt and is distilled using Belmont's historic copper still. The whiskey is hot, so be prepared for a burn, but not a straight alcohol burn. Instead, there's a roundness of creamed corn that envelopes the mouth and throat and that richness continues downwards. Climax Moonshine isn't necessarily a harsh whiskey, it just packs a wallop. Cheers.

Nelson County Virginia Adds a Distillery to their Portfolio: Silverback Distillery

One of my favorite wine country destinations in Virginia is Nelson County, located just southwest of Charlottesville and encompassing the Blue Ridge Parkway. Initially it was the county's mountains and wine that attracted me to the area, then a few breweries like Blue Mountain Brewery and Devils Backbone opened, then Bold Rock Cidery. Now there's another excuse - Silverback Distillery, with a new spirits brand available throughout the Virginia ABC system.

The distillery is owned and operated by Christine and Denver Riggleman and they produce three spirits: Beringei Vodka, Strange Monkey Gin, and Blackback White Grain Spirit. In order to provide tastings at the distillery, state regulations require that consumers be limited to 4 ounces of spirits over a 24 hour period. Rather crazy considering a person could then travel to nearby Blue Mountain or Cardinal Point Vineyard & Winery and drink unlimited quantities of beer or wine. In order to make this restriction bearable to visitors, Silverback created a few cocktail flights which serve a dual purpose. Not only do they provide customers enjoyable libations during their visit, but they also provide future recipes after purchasing a bottle or two.

Samples also are provided neat which gave me a clear representation of their spirits. The Beringei Vodka ($30 750 ml, 80 proof) is made from predominately winter wheat and is very clean, slightly sweet, with absolutely zero burn. The Blackback White Grain Spirit ($17 750 ml, 90 proof) has a high percentage of corn in the mash bill augmented by winter wheat. Thus, on the one hand the corn provides sweetness and spice, on the other, the winter wheat mellows the profile. This moonshine styled spirit is sweet with a minor burn. Be prepared for an aged version of the white grain that is currently residing in American Oak barrels. The biggest surprise was the Strange Monkey Gin ($30 750 ml, 80 proof). Not particular fond of gin, this version was rather tasty as the distillery held back on the juniper. This was worth the price of admission alone. As for the cocktails, the Moscow Mule (vodka) and London Mule (gin) were my favorites with the spirit mixed with ginger beer and lime juice. And both grain cocktails were nice, the Fruity Baboon (blood orange soda and lime juice) and Mango Monkarita (house mango mix). Cheers and safe travels while using theCompass Winery, Brewery, Distillery Locator Mobile App.

A Tasting of Four Corn Whiskeys

This weekend my brother-in-law expressed a new interest in whiskey - without his normal tendency to mix anything with cola. Thus I subjected him to a lecture on the various types of whiskey (i.e what is bourbon, Tennessee sour mash, Scotch, moonshine....). We then sampled a few styles from Virginia, North Carolina, and Georgia that I had open on the bar: two moonshine styled whiskeys and two bourbon styled whiskeys. The Bowman Brothers Pioneer Spirit was a clear favorite, followed by the Junior Johnson's Midnight Moon. Tasting notes are below. Cheers.




Piedmont Distillers (Madison, NC)- Junior Johnson's Midnight Moon ($25)
Aroma - weak neat, but opens to dirty corn after a few drops of H2O
Mid - very smooth, corn sweet
Finish - clean finish; very, very short burn

Stillhouse Distillery (Culpeper, VA) - MOONSHINE - The Original Moonshine from Stillhouse ($40)
Aroma - very weak neat, but opens to dirty corn after a few drops of H2O
Mid - smooth, some sweetness
Finish - clean finish; short burn -> works best in a cocktail

Thirteenth Colony Distilleries (Americus, GA) - Southern Corn Whiskey ($30)
Aroma - honey nut cheerios
Mid - kerosene
Finish - mid level burn

A. Smith Bowman Distillery (Fredericksburg, VA) - Bowman Brothers Pioneer Spirit ($40)
Aroma - burnt honey
Mid - candied walnuts
Finish - coats mouth; smoothest, slight burn

American Moonshine

On another raining weekend we decided to explore the bar and see what interesting items we hadn't opened. Viola, instantly several different bottles of whiskey appeared - either straight corn whiskey or labeled "moonshine". Why not a comparative tasting. Within our collection were:

1. Virginia Lightening distilled by Belmont Farm Distillery in Culpeper Virginia. This 100% corn whiskey is double distilled in a copper pot still and diluted to 100 proof.
2. Mountain Moonshine distilled by West Virginia Distilling Company from Morgantown, West Virginia. Although labeled as moonshine, this is a 80-20 blend of grain neutral spirits and corn. After careful blending, we add oak chips that have been roasted to just the right color. The whiskey is also aged slightly in oak chips.
3. Catdaddy distilled by Piedmont Distillers, Inc. in Madison, North Carolina. This whiskey is made from 100% corn and is triple distilled in copper pot stills with a few secret ingredients added.
4. Junior Johnson's Midnight Moon, also from Piedmont Distillers, Inc. is again triple distilled in copper pot stills, but containing neutral grain spirits.
5. Platte Valley Corn Whiskey distilled by McCormick Distilling and is 100% straight corn whiskey distilled in Illinois and aged for three years.

We tasted each whiskey neat, then added a little water to dampen the alcohol. Overall, there were some interesting products - but the overall favorite was clearly the Platte Valley Corn Whiskey. Maybe it was the aging three years - but this corn whiskey is extremely smooth with little burn even before adding water. It has the sweet corn aroma and flavor expected from corn whiskey and a smooth - smooth finish. The Junior Johnson's Midnight Moon was close, but this moonshine is more characteristic of a vodka. It was also extremely smooth - but didn't possess much aroma or flavor - probably a good candidate for a mixing. It's sibling, Catdaddy, was very interesting. Its spicy character resembled the botanicals in gin; it also reminded us a little of something more suited to Christmas time. Interesting - but not a corn whiskey we'd want to sip after a hard day at work. The Virginia Lightening took a little work to bring forth its true flavors. While drinking neat, the whiskey produces a major burn, which camouflages all sensations. However, by dousing with a few drops of water, the sweet corn aromas and flavor appear and it turns into a nice, drinkable whiskey. Knowing his secret makes it worth supporting a local producer. Finally, the Mountain Moonshine just wasn't so good. Even after adding water, the whiskey produced a healthy burn - surprising considering the oak chips and grain composition. We will be using this one in Bloody Marys.