Not long ago I visited Tennessee Hills Distillery with a group of friends. I wouldn’t have thought that Jonesborough would be the home of a pretty amazing distillery, but it is. The surprisingly young owner’s sense of style and love for good liquor definitely carried through the vibe of the distillery and taste of his product. It was trendy and hip with a subtle nod to the heritage of the town.

When we walked in, the owner, Stephen Callahan, greeted us and asked if we had ever been there before. When we shook our heads no, he asked if we wanted to see the stills. Through the iron gate that divides the room set three massive stills. Stephen explained to us that he built the stills right where they were sitting. While he explained his distilling process, I couldn’t help but notice how knowledgeable he was about it all- it all boiled down to a true science.

Stephen talked us through how he makes his whiskey, rum, aged bourbon, and even a “briskey” which is a lightly hopped beer that he distills. He distributes through the entire state of Tennessee and will soon be distributing in Georgia, Maryland, and Massachusetts.

As he finished explaining the history of the company, plans for the future, and his distilling process, we began to walk towards the wooden cabinets holding his finished products. Stephen then asked if we wanted to try a few samples and we eagerly nodded yes.

His flavors included lemon drop, pineapple upside-down, dark roast, coconut, angry pecker, corn liquor, and dead pecker.

After a few samples, we were impressed. He asked if we wanted to try a sample of his special “margarita” concoction.

He mixed tequila with his lemon drop flavor and poured us each a sample. So. Good.

2 thoughts on “Whiskey, Rum, Aged Bourbon And Even…. “Briskey”?

  1. Has everyone noticed that Tennessee Hills receives awards and special recognitionsfrom throughout the area? Congratulations, Stephen!

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