I’ve tried to be somewhat PC through all this, but that stops here. Is THIS asshat the picture of who should be making decisions for the future of Tennessee’s 150 year old industry? This guy with his played out, over the hill rock star persona and age inappropriate flavor saver? (Not that there is an appropriate age for a flavor saver, but 52 is about 30 years too old.) Is this the guy we want calling the shots?
You know who thinks so? A couple of ignorant, racist, sexist, homophobic, backwards thinking billionaires. You may know them as the Koch brothers. Somehow these much richer asshats have decided that Tennessee Whiskey is their concern and Americans For Prosperity has signed on to support the lobbying efforts to undefine our state’s spirit.
For these purposes, I’ll give Phil Prichard a bit of a pass. He’s at least been making whiskey for over a decade in Tennessee and he’s doing it according to a storied recipe, four generations old. But these guys? These guys are whining that they can’t continue to amass their reality TV fortune by riding the coat tails of one of the most recognizable brands in the world. In. The. World.
Dupree claims in the article below that making Tennessee Whiskey according to more than a century of tradition is “hindering” their progress and keeping 30 poor innocent residents of Trimble, TN from having jobs. For the zillionth time, this law does not tell anyone how to make their whiskey.
If these guys, or any others, make the choice to not follow the guidelines, then they’re still making whiskey in Tennessee, just not Tennessee Whiskey. There’s a reason there’s a difference… But they’d probably need to pull their heads out of asses to understand it. I don’t see that happening; so now our hope lies with our Legislators. That should work. They certainly haven’t been tainted by the Koch brothers in the past, just ask the Governor.
Distillers: Stiff whiskey law stifles town’s boozy revival – US News.
Not much for me to add to that. Quality has its place in the market place. An assurance of standards and practices helps guarantee quality, which is something we have had in place in Kentucky for decades. The rising tide (assurance of quality) raises all ships. They all sink when the tide (no standards) goes out.
[…] whiskey was defined by the state in 2013. Much debate took place in the legislature in the years following, but the definition is now widely accepted. […]