A History of American Whiskey
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Whiskey started filling the glasses of Americans in 1781 in the eastern United States (primarily Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania). A rye-based product, whiskey quickly made its way over to Tennessee and Kentucky where ingredients were more bountiful. As it evolved, it was made into two types: bourbon and sour mash.
Over time whiskey became part of the counterfeit trade. Many whiskey distributors sold knock-off drinks labelled as whiskey that were not actually whiskey. This later made way for the Bottled in Bond Act which created a standard for the quality of whiskey: it had to be straight or at least 50% alcohol by volume. On top of that, production was monitored as well. It had to be the product of one distilling season, produced by a single distiller, in one distillery, and aged for at least 4 years in a federally bonded warehouse at 100 proof.
1771
Isaac Shelby's East Tennessee Distillery, is the earliest on record in the state and located on the Holston River at Sapling Grove
1787
John Boyd's Red Heifer Distillery and Tavern was operating in what is now downtown Nashville
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1799
John Overton's General Accounting of Stills reported 61 registered stills in Davidson County servicing 4,000 inhabitants; including Philip Phillips, a descendant of our proprietor Lee Locke Kennedy
1830
Small community distillers were thriving and Colonel Henry Hunter operated the Distillery Tract just outside Leiper's Fork
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1850
Williamson County listed 10 Distilleries on its Industrial Census
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1866
Jack Daniel began distilling under the tutelage of Uncle Nearest Green in Lynchburg, TN
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1896
322 distilleries were operating in Tennessee as reported by the Nashville American
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1900
J.H. Womack White Maple Distillery began operating in downtown Franklin, TN
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1896
322 distilleries were operating in Tennessee as reported by the Nashville American
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1900
Tennessee enacted its own In-State Prohibition
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1910
322 distilleries were operating in Tennessee as reported by the Nashville American
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1920
National Prohibition is enacted with the passing of the Volstead Act and 18th Amendment
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1923
Sam Locke, a Franklin constable is murdered in Franklin by the Williamson County Whiskey Ring for busting over 60 stills in a three month time frame, as the illicit whiskey trade thrives in Middle Tennessee. Sam is the third great uncle of our proprietor, Lee Locke Kennedy.
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1933
National Prohibition is repealed with the adoption of the 21st Amendment
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1937
Tennessee repeals its In-State Prohibition but only allows distillation in three counties; Lincoln, Moore and Coffee.
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2009
With the help of local prospective distillers, Tennessee adopts a law to allow distillation state wide for the first time in a hundred years
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2014
The Tennessee Distiller's Guild is formed as an advocacy group for Tennessee distillers.
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2016
Leiper's Fork Distillery fills its first barrel of whiskey
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2017
The Tennessee Whiskey Trail is launched statewide
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