7 Comments
User's avatar
Gary Spangler's avatar

At first it seemed that a whiskey tasting had been part of your itinerary. Reflecting, it may have been a whiskey looking!

Seeing the “Leiper’s Fork” label made me wonder if whiskey production has seen a trend similar to craft beer’s role in brewing? (Albeit very different time frames) Did you see/visit other small distilleries? Did any of the muses have a wee sip?

I can only imagine…. Happy looking!

Expand full comment
3musesmerge's avatar

Hi Gary! The trip down to Franklin TN was spontaneous and the distillery tour was fun. We had an entertaining guide. As you might imagine, the cat was a highlight for me.

I did taste… minimally. The white stuff — yikes! The whiskey — had an interesting spicy finish. The bourbon was the smoothest.

What I really took away was the care and effort being put into the place and their product. Even their website reflects attention to detail.

Expand full comment
Gary Spangler's avatar

Isn't Franklin near Gatlinburg? Oops! There are two Franklins and the one I've been to is not at all near Nashville. The very small other one is SE of Gatlinburg. Whiskeys are often advertised for their years in the aging barrels before bottling - 7, 10, 15+ and when I Googled Leipers Fork Distillery I read that they were established in 2016?? Then again, a small startup distillery may be hardpressed to wait for even 7 years for their first paycheck?

That white stuff made me scratch my head. It reminded me of "white lightning" or "moonshine." How would you describe its taste?

I'm glad you took the team with you on this adventure. And I'm looking forward to what their presence offers the typist!

Expand full comment
3musesmerge's avatar

Greg has been puzzling the financials. Self-funded? Crowd sourced?

It appears a fair amount of pennies have been spent. They had top notch imported equipment. What they are doing is filled with artistry.

Their current bourbon isn’t even for sale because there isn’t enough of the stuff… It’s a blend of other barrels sourced from another producer. And our guide said their current whiskey is young and will continue to get better as it ages.

The tour guide also said he puts the white stuff in his refrigerator with peaches. I wonder if that helps?! How would I describe its taste… sharp and powerful.

We learned about heads, hearts, and tails, which correlate to what comes off the top, middle, and end of a batch. The head can make a person blind! “Here Frank, You try it!”

Expand full comment
Gary Spangler's avatar

The color and effect are similar to grain alcohol. 190 proof! Blind drunk!

Expand full comment
3musesmerge's avatar

No thank you.

Expand full comment