Tennessee Whiskey Godfather: Closest Uncle, the Slave Who Taught Jack Daniel
The former top distiller at Jack Daniel’s announced on Tuesday that he and several partners are opening a new whiskey distillery near the Great Smoky Mountains in Tennessee.
Distilling will first open a 4,000-square-foot (3,712-square-meter) tasting room and restaurant in Townsend, Tennessee, said former Jack Daniel distillery master Jeff Arnett and his partners. Next year will see a 20,000-square-meter (1,858-square-meter) main distillery in Alcoa and a tasting room at Thompson Station, closer to Nashville.
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Arnett teams up with former Tennessee Distillers Guild president Kris Tatum; construction businessman Corey Clayton; H. Clark Distillery founder Heath Clark and Clayton Homes CEO Kevin Clayton. The initiative is expected to include a $ 20 million investment and provide 50-60 jobs.
Distilling locations will be exterior-facing. The main location of the 31-acre (13-hectare) distillery in Alcoa will include a tasting room, restaurant, brewery, retail store, a live music venue, cornholes, pickle pitches, fire pits and open access to greenway routes, according to a press release.
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The Townsend location will be along the Little River, with the Townsend Greenway in front of the 5-hectare property, offering access to nearby cycling, running and mountain biking trails and hiking.
“I’d like to say this is the first distillery in this county, but you all know it’s not,” joked Blount County Mayor Ed Mitchell. “I would like to say that this is the first distillery where they have asked the mayor to speak. Things are really changing.”
The distillery will produce straight bourbon whiskey finished with maple wood “to produce a sip like no other,” Arnett said in a statement.
At the end of 2020, Jack Daniel’s announced the departure of Arnett after a period of almost 20 years with the whiskey producer, including 12 years in which he led the production.
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At an event at Alcoa to announce the new adventure, Arnett highlighted the pride he felt for the work he did during his time at Jack Daniel’s, but said he was excited to “do something different.” also.
“I felt it was time to move on,” he said.
150 years since Jack Daniel