A Rye Eye On Tennessee Flavors

Last week, Nashville State Community College (formerly Nashville Tech) held its second annual Tennessee Flavors fundraiser, benefitting the school’s Culinary Arts Program. Having recently survived a nasty bout of the flu on little more than club soda, crackers and Kleenex^®, I wasn’t about to let the rain falling as I entered the White Bridge Road campus dampen my appetite. Billed as a chance to “Sample the Latest Creations from Local Food & Drink Artisans,” the event did not disappoint.

A wide-ranging array of restaurants offered a taste of their wares, including old favorites like Sunset Grill, Tin Angel and Merchants, more recent arrivals like Table 3 and The Pharmacy, and corporate big guns like Aquarium and Rainforest Café. The list is far too long to mention all of them here, though not quite long enough to have kept me from stuffing myself with samples from nearly every station.

And so, filled with the foods of Tennessee, it was time to visit the beverages of the Volunteer State.

The gang from Yazoo^® Brewery was offering sips of two very different selections. A beer named “Sue” took its cue from the Shel-Silverstein-penned Johnny Cash smash. This unique, robust brew was as dark as French roast, as smooth as sweet cream and walloped the tongue with the huge flavor of smoked malt. I don’t usually care for darker beers, but the next time I’m in a joint that serves Sue, you might actually hear me sing “Hey, Porter!”

My hopes that Sue would have a sister along were answered by “Hap & Harry’s^® Lynchburg Lager.” This isa refreshing entry with a slight sweetness and a crisp finish, brewed by Yazoo in partnership with Tennessee distributor R.S. Lipman. It’s a beer that every Yuengling lover could love, and one whose local charm could easily end a romance with the pride of Pennsylvania.

Wines and moonshines were both well represented, but while eating too much and waddling home was an option, drinking too much and wobbling home was not. I skipped the vino and the white lightning, limited myself to three whiskey tastings, and was pleasantly surprised to find rye in unexpected places.

I am far from the only person to think that George Dickel^® is the sleeping giant of American whiskey brands (or as they spell it, “whisky”). Like Jack Daniel’s^® line-up, Dickel’s products are Tennessee Whiskies, and undergo the Lincoln County process of charcoal filtering prior to being barreled for aging. While that’s nothing new, a George Dickel Rye is.

A forgotten American favorite, rye whiskey is distinguished by a mash bill in which rye, rather than corn, is the dominant grain. Typically viewed as bourbon’s bolder, spicier cousin, rye whiskey began making a comeback in the early 2000s. Today, stores that once struggled to scrounge up a bottle of Old Overholt^® offer an ever-growing list of ryes in a range of prices. Though announced last fall, George Dickel Rye has just started showing up on many stores’ shelves. It’s a welcome addition, combining the spice and citrus notes one expects in a rye with a sweet smoothness that makes for easy sippin’, even at 90 proof.

Dickel Brand Ambassador Douglas Kragel explained that, unlike other Dickel drams, the new rye goes through the Lincoln County Process after it comes out of the casks. That no doubt accounts for some of its signature smoothness. Kragel further clarified that George Dickel Rye is actually distilled in Indiana and undergoes the Lincoln County Process in Illinois with charcoal shipped from Tennessee. While it would be nice to say this new Dickel is distilled in Tullahoma, the Hoosiers at Indiana’s LDI/MGPI facility have got ryes down, and it shows. As whiskey authority Chuck Cowdery recently wrote about Dickel’s latest addition, “If the people who claim to primarily like rye aren’t all over this, there’s something wrong with them.”

Collier and McKeel^® Tennessee Whiskey, meanwhile, was being made just a few miles from where westood. A taste quickly revealed that Collier and McKeel is no Dickel or Daniel’s knockoff. Though corn dominates its mash bill, a helping of rye gives this small batch upstart a spicier taste than other Tennessee Whiskies, while charcoal filtering keeps things smooth. If you like American whiskies, but have a hard time deciding between bourbon, rye and Tennessee whiskey, Collier and McKeel may be the ideal resolution to your dilemma.

When a gentleman from the Prichard’s^® distillery in Kelso heard me discussing the rye in Collier and McKeel’s flagship product, he insisted I give his Prichard’s Rye a try. (He didn’t have to insist too hard.) This is one of the most interesting ryes I’ve ever tasted. It started off like a bourbon, and then seemed to transform into a rye in my mouth. A neat trick—and one that would lead me to drink it neat.

I left Tennessee Flavors well feted and well fed, musing on how much the food and drink scene in our state and our city has changed over the last two decades. In some cases, change is good. In this case, it’s delicious.

Notes: The folks at Tennessee Flavors were kind enough to offer me a complimentary ticket to this event. I have only touched on a few of this year’s numerous participants. You can learn more about Flavors and the participants at www.tnflavors.org. Drink Responsibly–Beer, wine and spirits were offered in sample-sized portions, not full servings. Refills were readily available, but since I was driving, I chose not to have any.