Davidson Reserve TENNESSEE Straight Sour Mash Whiskey

Our Tennessee Straight Sour Mash Whiskey is made with a small amount of malt, allowing more flavor from the corn and rye to come through. It is then distilled twice and filtered through virgin Tennessee sugar maple charcoal to provide extra smoothness and a perfect balance to the whiskey. We age our whiskey for a minimum of 4 years in 53 gallon barrels before bottling at 96 proof.

MASH BILL:

70% Tennessee White Corn
25% Tennessee White Cereal Rye
5% Malt
Mellowed Through Charcoal  

Tasting Notes:

Nose: Sweet aromas of freshly made maple cookies lead into hints of dried strawberries, with warm crème brûlée. 

Palate: Flavors of sweet caramelized sugars and toasted graham crackers advance, with grilled pineapple, stone fruit, peach cobbler and toasted marshmallows developing on the second sip.

Finish: A lingering, pleasing spearmint finish is just long enough to leave you wanting more. 

Details:

Davidson Reserve Tennessee Whiskey is made with a mash bill of 70% corn, 25% rye, and 5% barley, milled on-site using a hammer mill. After grinding the grain to the consistency of cornmeal, Pennington Distilling Co. cooks the mash to prepare it for fermentation. At this point, yeast is introduced, which begins the process of making alcohol. Following fermentation, Pennington Distilling Co. distills their Tennessee whiskey twice and then mellows it by passing it through maple charcoal.  

At this point the whiskey is ready to enter the barrel for aging. Pennington Distilling Co. uses nothing but full sized 53-gallon barrels for aging, unlike other craft distilleries that have tried to rush the aging process in the past by employing smaller barrels to force more interaction between the whiskey and the char of the barrel leading to a product that tastes more like wood and less like grain. Davidson Reserve Tennessee Whiskey is aged a minimum of four years and then tasted frequently after that duration to determine exactly when it is ready for bottling.

While Tennessee whiskey and bourbon share a lot of similarities, there are some distinct differences.  Both start out with the same requirements – distilled using at least 51% corn, not distilled over 160 proof, barreled at a proof level of 125 or below and using a new charred oak barrel. However, Tennessee whiskey has two extra defining characteristics. The obvious difference is that Tennessee whiskey must be made in Tennessee as opposed to bourbon which can be made anywhere in the United States. The other difference is that Tennessee whiskey is charcoal-filtered before it goes into the barrel for aging. Using a method known as the Lincoln County Process, the distillate is filtered or steeped through charcoal chips before entering barrels. The charcoal filtering process strips the whiskey of some of its harsher flavors, creating a smoother, easier-to-drink whiskey.

AWARDS FOR DAVIDSON RESERVE TENNESSEE WHISKEY SMALL BATCH: