Leipers Fork Bottled-in-Bond Tennessee Whiskey

We’re so glad to feature another Leiper’s Fork whiskey, one that is a perennial contender in Fred Minnick’s annual top 100! For those who aren’t familiar with this distillery, their founder, Lee Kennedy, describes their backwoods-chemisty whiskey-making process as “purposefully inefficient”, which is music to our ears. From their sweet mash fermentation, to their pot still distillation using their Vendome still “Ginger”, to their commitment to using only local grains grown at a farm 7 miles down the road (an astonishing feat for a distillery that using corn, rye, wheat, and barley for their whiskeys, as it is difficult to grow all 4 due to the heat in their region), this distillery has so many flavor variables that truly make it a rare gem. Celebrating their 10th anniversary in 2026, Leiper’s Fork was instrumental in passing legislation to allow distilling in their county for the first time since before Prohibition, and truly believe in the Bottling-in-Bond designation as a sign of their provenance, proving that every drop of their whiskey was made in house.

This Tennessee Whiskey is incredible, and a true testament to the fact that you should never assume a flavor profile for any type of whiskey! This whiskey is complex and unique, with the Lincoln-County process providing the perfect roundness to the back end of the palate. The LC process is the trademark of TN Whiskey, entailing filtration through a bed of sugar-maple charcoal, which Leiper’s Fork gets from a local millhouse and chars on site. They add in rye to replace the wheat in their bourbon mashbill, providing the bold spice kick that shines through on the palate and finish. It’s clear they make their whiskey from a place of passion, keeping the consumer in mind with every drop they distill. As their Sales Manager, Ben Hobbs, says, “We all love whiskey because every glass has a story where everyone can get together around one common thing and enjoy it, and the one common denominator is you all like whiskey and enjoy what you’re drinking.” That pretty much perfectly sums up the Blind Barrels experience, and we know our community will love this dram!