Category: Tennessee Whiskey Trail

Mint Julep Nashville Taking Off on the Tennessee Whiskey Trail

June 4, 2018

Need a reason to get up early over the weekend? Jump on a luxury tour bus and head out on the Tennessee Whiskey Trail with Mint Julep Experiences. A staple on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail, Mint Julep crossed the southern border and is here to help you get your passport stamped at a variety of Tennessee distilleries. Offering tours five days a week, Mint Julep is your ticket for a day trip out of Nashville.

The thirty or so distilleries making up the Tennessee Whiskey Trail are spread all across the state, from Memphis to the Tri Cities. Mint Julep is currently concentrating their efforts to explore the Trail in Middle Tennessee, maximizing your day by hitting the road first thing in the morning. The “Legends” tour hits Tennessee whiskey giants Jack Daniels and George Dickel while the “Rising Stars” tour focuses on Tennessee’s craft distilleries. Both tours are about 8 hours and include VIP treatment at the host distilleries as well as lunch and an expert guide to provide a backdrop to the history and color of the Tennessee whiskey landscape.

I was recently treated to a trip out on the new bus, and we hit the Trail for a taste of the “Rising Star” experience. The first stop was at Corsair Distillery where we were treated to a tour and a smorgosboard of cocktail offerings. This is a great way to jump start your day; pack a cooler or a flask to keep the party going on your trip down to H Clark and Leiper’s Fork distilleries. Further tours and lots more tastings await.

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Whether you’re visiting for the first time and want to visit the grandfathers of Tennessee whiskey or you’re looking to expand your horizons into the craft scene, there’s no bad day on the Trail. Contact the Nashville team at Mint Julep to book your tour, or create your own personalized itinerary! These guys have a decade of experience in Kentucky and are now ready roll through Tennessee.

 

 

 

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Tenn South Distillery- the perfect mix of tradition & innovation

February 11, 2015

IMG_7534This is the picture of a craft distillery.  The barn-like exterior isn’t meant to fool you into thinking that Tenn South is a small distillery.  Tenn South is a small distillery.  Tiny, even.  About an hour’s drive south of Nashville, one arrives at Tenn South purposefully; it’s not on the way to anywhere. Less than 10 miles off I-65 in Giles County, you’ll go through “downtown” Lynnville before arriving at the distillery.  This sleeper town occupies a whopping .3 square miles and is home to about 350 people.  Lynnville is also home to other regionally famous artisans Colonel Littleton and The Lynnville Pie Company.

Not an uncommon aspiration to Tennesseans, brothers-in-law Blair Butler and Clayton Cutler dreamed of making Tennessee Whiskey.  Dr. Butler, a radiologist in nearby Columbia and Cutler, a technical process engineering guy with a long history in inkjet manufacturing, may not seem to be your likely suspects for following through on such a dream.  But June 25, 2009 turned that dream into a plan when Governor Phil Bredesen signed off on a law allowing for the “manufacturing of intoxicating liquors” in counties that had approved retail package sales and liquor-by-the-drink sales.  The distillery bill, SB1955/HB1720, exponentially increased the number of counties where dreamers like Butler & Cutler could open their own distilleries.  Where once there were only three, now dozens of counties were eligible.

Enter Tenn South Distillery. Read More

Old Glory Distilling Company- COMING SOON!

February 7, 2015

IMG_7569_2Matt Cunningham stands in front of a packed room at the Hilton Garden Inn in Clarksville, TN, clad in a checkered shirt tucked in to khaki chinos. Matt certainly doesn’t fit the image that “reality” TV has led us to picture as the Tennessee backwoods distiller; he’s young, articulate, has a college degree and all of his teeth.  Today he’s announcing his plans for the Old Glory Distilling Company and showcasing the branding for the first suite of distilled spirits.  He’s nervous and excited and clearly moved as he finally shares his dream with the masses.

The Kickoff event is well attended, including project collaborators, friends, family members, local press and leaders in the Clarksville business community.  Both Theresa Harrington, Executive Director of Clarksville-Montgomery County Convention & Visitors Bureau and Tennessee State Senator Mark Green spoke to the crowd in addition to Cunningham, applauding his efforts.

Old Glory Distilling Co Building DrawingThe Old Glory site sits just off I-24 at Exit 4 with huge visibility from the highway.  Once complete, a very large, open neon sign modeled after the famous Budweiser brewery sign in St. Louis will beacon passers by to the distillery.  Hoping to bring additional tourists to Clarksville, Matt notes that this distillery is not just his, instead he wants it to be “Clarksville’s distillery, something the whole community can be proud of.”  He mentioned that one way the community can get involved with the distillery will be through bottling and labeling parties, where volunteers will sign the bottles they help to assemble.  Harrington half-joked that she hoped folks would have a few drinks and then stay at a nearby hotel for the night. Read More