Bourbon vs. Tennessee Whiskey: The Main Variations

Bourbon and Tennessee whiskey are typically confused for one another throughout the minds of many purchasers—there’s even debate throughout the whiskey world as as as to if Tennessee whiskey will probably be thought-about bourbon. Nonetheless, no matter nearly an equivalent manufacturing processes, the normal American whiskey sorts do have some key variations. Proper right here’s the whole thing you can know when evaluating the two.

The Similarities

They every are made primarily with corn.

The mash bill, or make-up of grains in bourbon and Tennessee whiskey, ought to embrace on the very least 51% corn. The remaining 49% may embrace completely different grains like rye, wheat, and barley. Although the mash bill can attribute completely completely different proportions of grains, it’s value noting that the important thing producers of every Tennessee whiskey and bourbon are usually additional corn-heavy, with mash funds usually reaching 70% corn or better. 

They every ought to age in new charred oak barrels. 

The charred new oak whereby bourbon and Tennessee whiskey ought to age has compounds like vanillins, lactones, and tannins that help to supply every spirits their attribute caramelized coloration and style profile, which is often thought-about sweet compared with completely different whiskeys. 

Neither spirit has a minimal getting older requirement for his or her base designation, though they need to be aged for on the very least two years to be labeled “straight,” or on the very least 4 years to be labeled “bottled-in-bond.” 

They share completely different distillation requirements. 

Every spirits need to be distilled to a most of 160 proof (80% ABV) and barreled at a most of 125 proof (62.5% ABV). They need to be bottled at a minimal of 80 proof (40% ABV). 

The Variations

Tennessee whiskey goes by a charcoal filtering course of. 

Tennessee whiskey makes use of the Lincoln County Course of, a technique for which the unaged whiskey need to be steeped in or filtered by maple charcoal chips sooner than it’s barreled. This course of removes impurities and strips the whiskey of some of its bolder corn profile, resulting in a mellower, softer spirit. 

Although the terminology for the Lincoln County Course of dates to the mid-1800s, the technique of using charcoal to mellow spirits has attainable been utilized in whiskey-making for 1000’s of years. Nearly all Tennessee whiskeys ought to use the Lincoln County Course of by state regulation, nevertheless a specific exception was made for Prichard’s Distillery when proprietor Phil Prichard argued that charcoal filtering was a course of his ancestor, Benjamin Prichard, did not use. 

Tennessee whiskey can solely be produced in Tennessee.

As its determine suggests, Tennessee whiskey can solely be produced in Tennessee. Whereas most bourbon, upwards of 95%, is made throughout the state of Kentucky, it should probably technically be produced anyplace within the US. 

Notably, whereas bourbon, as a classification, is regulated and outlined by the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Commerce Bureau (TTB), Tennessee whiskey presently simply is not, and guidelines are enforced at a state stage. Totally different protection agreements, similar to the North American Free Commerce Settlement (NAFTA) and its successor, the US–Mexico–Canada Settlement (USMCA), notably define Tennessee whiskey as “a straight Bourbon Whiskey licensed to be produced solely throughout the state of Tennessee…manufactured in accordance with the authorized tips and guidelines of the US governing the manufacture of Bourbon Whiskey and Tennessee Whiskey.”

Frequent Producers of Bourbon and Tennessee Whiskey

There are spherical 30 distilleries that make Tennessee whiskey, nevertheless fundamental producers embrace Jack Daniel’s, George Dickel, Nearest Inexperienced, and Prichard’s.

There are nearly 100 distilleries in Kentucky alone. Widespread bourbon producers embrace Jim Beam, Evan Williams, 4 Roses, Knob Creek, Maker’s Mark, Michter’s, and Wild Turkey.