Tennessee Walker

[doubleblank]

I am resurrecting an old topic we discuused many moons ago regarding early Tennesse whiskys. A fellow SB member offered up a bottle of Tennesee Walker for the Gazebo activities in Houston this week. In previous discussions regarding this brand, it was thought to be a blended whisky from Dickel. I also recall the brand didn't last long because of trademark/copyright et al issues.

But this one is different. This one is wrapped in a tissue/box and the label says "Tennessee Walking Horse 'reg brand' Sour Mash Whisky"......"Mellowed through a 10 foot depth of sugar-maple charcoal at the time of distillation". It comes in a fancy bottle with a horseshoe/horse/four leaf clover molded into the back of it. A small label says "Xported From Tennessee".....the E is missing. It's a 4/5ths quart at 86.8 proof. Bottle appears to be stamped "69". Apparently not a blend.

The label also says "Bottled By Tennessee Walker Distillery Company, Turkey Creek Road, Moore County, Tenn." Right under that in small print is "No Connection With Any Other Distilling Company Of Similar Name".

There is a Turkey Creek Road in Moore County, Tenn. It sits approximately half way between Jack and Dickel. So I question the source of the whisky....is it from Dickel whisky or is it a Schenley brand sourced from some other distillery?

Randy

[OscarV]

Nice bottle Randy, so have you tasted any of it?

What would you say it is similar to?

How many TN whiskies were there?

[doubleblank]

We'll open it this week in Houston. I know Gary Gilman knows a little about this brand and may have some insight as to what it is.

[Gillman]

Very interesting, Randy, it wasn't I who commented on the possible source though. I think I may have made a comment about Tennessee walking horses, the distinctive gait they use. This looks not to be a blend, I'd agree..

Gary

[Josh]

Very interesting, Randy, it wasn't I who commented on the possible source though. I think I may have made a comment about Tennessee walking horses, the distinctive gait they use. This looks not to be a blend, I'd agree..

Gary

[Gillman]

I took a quick look at the other board, and see mention of a Tennessee Walker blended whiskey in one of Mike Veach's timelines (this for Schenley of course). I only have a brief note in that thread and it's not about the whiskey, but maybe I did comment somewhere on it. Anyway I think Randy is right though, the term sour mash and absence of the term blended from the labels would seem to suggest it is a straight whiskey. Maybe if it was exported though it didn't have to state it was blended and the percentage of straight whiskey in it. Certainly an interesting looking bottle...

Gary

[tmckenzie]

I am a big fan of george dickel. I grew up in alabama, my family farmed, and hauled horses for a horse breeder, who had us make regular trips to Lewisburg, I think, to get tennesee walking horses. I remember my father having some of this. If I had to bet is it from george dickel. I guess something different they tried to market. I think I read on here somewhere that pride of tennesee was a start up dickel product too. Seems like I have seen a blended verson as well.

[bourbonv]

In my last trip into the archive, I did find label files for both a blend and a straight version of Tennessee Walker. I suspect the straight version was some of the whisky made to test the process, maybe even done in Frankfort. I do know the brand was dropped for two reasons: Johnny Walker was contesting the trademark and Dickel came on line.

Mike Veach

[Josh]

In my last trip into the archive, I did find label files for both a blend and a straight version of Tennessee Walker. I suspect the straight version was some of the whisky made to test the process, maybe even done in Frankfort. I do know the brand was dropped for two reasons: Johnny Walker was contesting the trademark and Dickel came on line.

Mike Veach

So...Dickel and Johnny Walker had different owners then?

[silverfish]

If I had to bet is it from george dickel. I guess something different they tried to market.

TW is mentioned in this BE GD History thread.

(Pride of Tennessee is also mentioned - with

photos - a few posts later.)

[Gillman]

Right, I recall this now, Mike mentioned the brand in the course of a discussion that I think began when I mentioned that Carson (in his Social History of Bourbon) had referred to Tennessee whiskey as of yellow hue as compared to Kentucky bourbon. I think I was speculating that the young charcoal-leached whiskey, sold not too long after this treatment originally, had that colour and I noted that a Tennessee corn whiskey from some decades back I had tasted at a festival had that colour. In the course of that Mike mentioned Tennessee Walker and that it was a blend. But he mentions below in this current thread that there was a straight version too. I believe Randy's bottle is the latter.

Gary