NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — State lawmakers are gearing up for the next round of a fight between global liquor giants over the legal definition of Tennessee whiskey.
Louisville, Kentucky-based Brown-Forman, which owns Jack Daniel's, supports the law requiring Tennessee whisky to be made from 51 percent corn, aged in new charred oak barrels, filtered through maple charcoal and bottled at a minimum of 80 proof. George Dickel, which is owned by British liquor conglomerate Diageo, opposes those rules as too restrictive.
A state Senate committee that would take up any challenges to the law next session on Thursday heard from representatives of Jack Daniels and George Dickel, as well as from the owners of a growing number of craft distilleries in the state who have been caught in the middle of the debate.