Old Tennessee Distilling Co. has released Sid’s Select, a limited-edition, Premium Tennessee Butcher’s Bourbon as the culmination of a seven-year dream.
In 2013, Sid Blalock and Kent Merritt, founders of Old Tennessee Distilling Co., began working on their dream to produce a high-quality premium Tennessee Bourbon that would be distilled locally utilizing locally sourced raw materials from Sevier County, TN.
Credit: Old Tennessee Distilling
After navigating the roadblocks of being a start-up in the industry, they filled their first barrel in August 2016, launching one of the fundamental truisms of the whiskey industry — waiting. Sadly, Sid passed away before the bourbon had time to fully mature and mellow enough to release the final product. Determined to bring his vision to fruition, Sid’s wife, Jo, continued working with Kent to turn the seven-year dream into reality. “I believe Sid would be proud of the bourbon that we produced,” said Merritt. “I know I am.”
This first release of Sid’s Select™️ Butcher’s® Bourbon will only be available for purchase on-site at Old Tennessee Distilling in Kodak, Tenn.
Sid’s Select is made from a blend of malted barley, rye, and heirloom corn which is grown and ground locally in East Tennessee. Once the bourbon was determined ready, Old Tennessee Distilling Company hand selected ten white oak barrels and tempered the whiskey with pure English Mountain Spring water to create a 94-proof spirit with a vanilla-honey aroma and flavor notes of herbal sage, vanilla, toasted graham cracker, ginger and hints of cinnamon. After aging for five years, each bottle was labeled and filled by hand, bringing the seven-year dream to its long-awaited close.