Tennessee Whiskey 101

By Liz Pirnat

Updated July 2026

Tennessee whiskey is a corn-based American whiskey that meets every legal requirement for bourbon, plus one more: the spirit must be filtered through sugar maple charcoal before it goes into a new charred oak barrel. That step is known as the Lincoln County Process.

By now, you’ve surely become acquainted with Tennessee whiskey. If you haven’t had Jack Daniel’s, or don’t know of someone who drinks it religiously, you’re in the minority. So, whether the high-octane brown spirit that hails from our American center is an old favorite friend, or is new to you, this article will help explain just what makes Tennessee Whiskey unique.

So, we begin by asking what is Tennessee Whiskey, and what makes it different from Whisk(e)y or Bourbon?

According to the Wine and Spirit Education Trust (WSET), Whisky (or whiskey) is a spirit made with grains.

Bourbon requires the grain to be at least 51% corn, and it must be aged in charred new oak barrels. Bourbon can come from any state in the U.S.

Tennessee Whiskey, however, requires the spirit to be passed through a charcoal sugar maple filter before going into a new charred oak barrel. It is also called the “Lincoln County Process,” so-named for the county in which it was invented.

You with me so far? Take note: all Tennessee Whiskey is technically classified as bourbon since it is produced from grains that are at least 51% corn—but not all bourbon is Tennessee Whiskey.

Here’s why: Per NAFTA, Tennessee Whiskey is any whiskey made in the state of Tennessee. The TTB actually doesn’t have a definition of Tennessee Whiskey beyond it being a distilled product of the USA. But a 2013 Tennessee state law states that for a bourbon to be called “Tennessee Whiskey” it must pass through a sugar maple charcoal filter, with two years aging on charred new oak barrels. There is one exception: Prichard’s Distillery, which does not have to do the sugar maple charcoal filtering.

Tennessee Whiskey From Grain to Bottle

Each producer uses their own blend of grains to create their mash. While at least 51% of the grain must be corn, most are closer to 70%. The rest of the blend varies between rye, malted barley, and corn. Much like wine, the length of the fermentation of the mash also varies from a day to a week. Every producer uses their own yeast.

Of the many distilleries I visited on a trip through the state, here are some highlights and images of the beautiful stills:

Distilleries in Tennessee use local water as a primary source ingredient. Tennessee has limestone-based riverbeds, which adds additional minerals to the water. At Jack Daniel’s and George Dickel, the water source rivers are right next to the distilleries.

I discovered that Jack Daniel’s uses a column still, George Dickel does column and pot distillation, and Nelson’s Green Brier has a pot/column hybrid still, while H Clark uses a traditional brandy pot still. Those doing pot distillation vary in sizes from 500 gallons to 100 gallons at H Clark.

The Lincoln County Process in Practice

The charcoal sugar maple filtration process can also vary between producers. They all drip the whiskey through the charcoal, but the biggest difference is just how much charcoal the whiskey passes through. This can vary from four feet of charcoal up to 13 feet of charcoal! The time that it takes to pass through this filter also varies from a day to as many as 10 days.

What the charcoal filtration process does is remove fatty acids and fusel oils from the distilled spirit and smooths out the flavor. It does not add flavors.

Barrel Aging, the Angel’s Share and the Devil’s Cut

After filtration, the bourbon is put into new charred oak barrels and transferred to a barrel storage facility. Jack Daniel’s owns 89 barrel houses, while smaller producers like H Clark move them to the attic. The barrel houses experience the natural weather fluctuations and are not temperature controlled. The heat of the summer and cool of the winter help the whiskey/bourbon develop its finished character.

The devil’s cut is the percent of bourbon the barrel absorbs. About 5 percent of what is put in the barrel is lost to the devil’s cut. The “angel’s share” is the percent that is evaporated into the air; roughly 2-5 percent is lost per year by evaporation. For a typical bourbon that spends four years aging, it is expected to lose at least 20 percent to the angel’s share and the devil’s cut. Just take a whiff of the air next time you enter a barrel house in Tennessee. Then, you’ll understand just how real that evaporation factor becomes in the process.

During barrel aging, the spirit develops its color, gaining complex aromas and flavors. The length of time spent in barrel is at least two years. Most producers will age their whiskey/bourbon for 4 to 7 years on average. Each producer decides based on color, taste, and aroma when the product is finished. Interesting to note is that depending on where exactly a barrel is stored can impact how long the barrel needs to age—barrels on the top floor of the barrel house will be ready sooner than barrels on the bottom floor.

Barrel Select Whiskey

While you can easily walk into most liquor stores and pick up a bottle of Jack Daniel’s or George Dickel, at higher-end liquor stores you can find “barrel select” options, which are longer aged whiskeys. At most distilleries, you can find bottles with impeccably longer aging periods, such as 17 years for George Dickel, or even unique single barrel, and barrel strength options at Jack Daniel’s.

Really a whiskey fan? You can purchase an entire barrel and they will bottle it just for you.

What makes these barrel select, longer aging, or even single-barrel spirits so interesting? They have more complex aromas and flavors, a variety of alcohol levels, and different finishing of the barrels—all the more reason to explore the distillery and ask about these unique bottlings and options.

The Explosion of Craft Distilleries

From the end of Prohibition until 2009, only three Tennessee counties permitted distilling, which meant just three Tennessee Whiskey producers: Jack Daniel’s in Moore County, George Dickel in Coffee County, and Prichard’s in Lincoln County. In 2009, state legislation opened distilling to 41 additional counties, and later bills expanded that to at least 75 counties.

The result has been an explosion of craft distilleries. The Tennessee Distillers Guild, formed in 2014 with just 13 members, now represents more than 30 distilleries across the state, from internationally recognized brands to small local producers.

While I greatly enjoyed my visits to Jack Daniel’s, George Dickel, and Prichard’s, I also visited H Clark, Leiper’s Fork, Nelson’s Green Brier, and Corsair Distilleries. These small craft distilleries are making fantastic spirits—distillers are even experimenting with quinoa in whiskey production, as I learned at Corsair.

Every distillery pays great respect to the history of distilling in Tennessee, the impact of prohibition, and their company history, no matter how short or long that history may be. As an example, Nelson’s Green Brier found the original family recipe from before prohibition.

More Than Tennessee Whiskey and Bourbon

One additional interesting find was how so many of the distilleries are making additional products beyond just Tennessee Whiskey and Bourbon.

Prichard’s got its start with rum, and has continued on with rum and a wide variety of other products, from moonshine to Sweet Lucy, a liqueur. H Clark makes a fantastic gin. Nelson’s Green Brier has a variety of different products, including a coffee, chocolate, and pecan liqueur called Louisa.

Frequently Asked Questions About Tennessee Whiskey

Is Tennessee whiskey the same as bourbon?

All Tennessee whiskey is technically classified as bourbon, because it is made from a mash of at least 51% corn and aged in new charred oak barrels. But not all bourbon is Tennessee whiskey: under 2013 Tennessee state law, a bourbon can only be labeled Tennessee Whiskey if it is made in Tennessee, passed through a sugar maple charcoal filter, and aged at least two years in new charred oak.

What is the Lincoln County Process?

The Lincoln County Process is the sugar maple charcoal filtration step that legally distinguishes Tennessee whiskey. The spirit is dripped through anywhere from four to 13 feet of charcoal, over a period ranging from one day to ten days, before it enters the barrel. It removes fatty acids and fusel oils and smooths the flavor — it does not add flavor. It is named for the Tennessee county where it was invented.

Are there any exceptions to the Lincoln County Process?

Yes. Prichard’s Distillery is exempt under Tennessee law and does not have to perform the sugar maple charcoal filtration.

How long is Tennessee whiskey aged?

The legal minimum is two years in new charred oak. In practice, most producers age their whiskey four to seven years. Barrel position matters: barrels stored on the top floor of a barrel house mature faster than those on the bottom floor.

What are the angel’s share and the devil’s cut?

The devil’s cut is the whiskey absorbed into the wood of the barrel — roughly 5 percent of what goes in. The angel’s share is what evaporates into the air, roughly 2 to 5 percent per year. A bourbon aged four years can expect to lose at least 20 percent combined.

How many distilleries are there in Tennessee?

Before 2009, only three Tennessee counties allowed distilling. State legislation that year opened distilling to 41 more counties, later expanded to at least 75. The Tennessee Distillers Guild, founded in 2014 with 13 members, now represents more than 30 distilleries statewide.

Learn the Spirits Behind the Bottle

Napa Valley Wine Academy is the largest and most-awarded WSET Approved Programme Provider in the United States, with courses taught by WSET-certified educators. American whiskey production, barrel maturation, and systematic tasting are covered in the WSET Level 1 Award in Spirits, the WSET Level 2 Award in Spirits, and the WSET Level 3 Award in Spirits. Focused on whisky specifically? See the Certificate in Scotch Whisky.