Tennessee whiskey. Photo: Flickr / jpenglert

Tennessee whiskey, which has long been the exclusive province of Jack Daniels and George Dickel, may soon be welcoming some new faces to the fold.

The Tennessee legislature this month passed a law permitting the distillation of spirits in 44 counties instead of only the three in which it is currently legal. It's a move some legislators say should generate needed tax revenues for the state and new jobs for its residents.

Artisan distillers predict the relaxed restrictions could also spur a Tennessee whiskey renaissance. The term "Tennessee whiskey" denotes whiskey filtered through sugar maple charcoal, a step known as the "Lincoln County Process" in honor of the county where Jack Daniel pioneered it. In addition to Lincoln, Moore and Coffee are the other two counties where distillation has long been legal.

While the new law allows distillers to produce any sort of legal liquor they choose, Andrew Webber, owner of Kentucky's Corsair Artisan Distillery, suspects many of the dozen or so artisanal spirits makers reportedly eyeing the Volunteer State will experiment with Tennessee whiskey.

Moonshine and more after the jump.
Webber, a Nashville native, plans to open a second distillery in his hometown shortly.

"Right now there's Jack, and then there's George Dickel," Webber says. "Now there'll be competition."

Industry insiders say it's unlikely the new law will attract any distilleries as massive as Jack Daniel's, which annually sells 9.5 million cases of whiskey. It's aimed at microdistillers like Webber, who are bound to focus on the boutique aspects of their craft. Webber's distillery has toyed with such offbeat products as smoked whiskey, spiced rum and American gin.

That said, the most micro of distillers won't find much comfort in the legislation. While Tennessee has a proud "corn likker" tradition, the new law stipulates distillery license holders have clean records and a $500,000 startup bond, making it very hard for a moonshiner with a backyard still to go straight.

According to Webber, the old-timers may be among the few groups that won't benefit from the legislation, which has been lauded by retailers, tourism officials and farmers.

"We're pretty pleased," Webber says. "This catches us up with the northern left coast."

Jack Daniel and George Dickel surely would drink to that.