Our host for our walk through was Rudy. She filled us in on all the happenings at Big Machine Distillery these days.
The distillery's layout is essentially two distilleries in one. When entering, we first see the hybrid still used for making the Clayton James Tennessee Whiskey and moonshine. In the next room is the column still used for making the Big Machine Vodka. We'll get to the vodka in a bit, but we'll start with the whiskey and moonshine area.
Big Machine Distillery has the same interesting hybrid still. It has the “pot” portion with a short column on top, and next to it is a second short column. The vapor comes out of the first column and then heads into the second. The net effect is the same as if a taller column was placed on top of the pot. Why did they do it this way? They were constrained by the height of the ceiling. If they wanted to have the entire column on top of the pot, they would have had to break through the ceiling. On our initial visit, I had not seen that set up before and thought it was quite ingenious. I have since seen it elsewhere, but I still think it is very cool.
Before entering the still, the grain must be “cooked” or mashed to get those enzymatic reactions going. The “cooker” sits just to the left of the still. Behind the cooker and still are the fermenters; 2 large closed fermenters and 2 smaller rectangular fermenters. Once fermentation is complete, the grain will go to the stills.
In addition to producing Tennessee Whiskey and moonshine, Tenn South also produces Big Machine Vodka and Big Machine Vodka Spiked Coolers. That "Big Machine", as I alluded to above, is Big Machine Records. The company is an independent record label specializing in country and pop artists. Big Machine Records’ founder, Scott Borchetta, was interested in making a premium vodka, and thus Big Machine Platinum Filtered Premium Vodka was born. This vodka, as its name implies, is filtered though a proprietary Platinum Filtration system after distillation. Not being a huge vodka fan, I hadn’t heard of this, but apparently platinum, and some other metals, are thought to improve the mouthfeel, texture and “smoothness” of vodka, and are used by some distilleries.* Big Machine uses the slogan "The smoothest tasting vodka, period!", and, I have to say that after tasting it on both visits now, I must agree!
Although I am far from being a vodka expert, I found the still very unique; actually, a work of art, if you will. The Big Machine Vodka still is a large column still, clearly built with aesthetics, as well as function, in mind. It looks like it could have come from the future, with its sparkling stainless steel wrapped in rings of copper. Adjacent and connected to it, is the Platinum Filtration system, which consists of a glass cylinder with 3 horizontal plates, each holding a neat pile of platinum pellets, with the upper and middle plates also holding shungite stones and gravel, respectively. The Russian Shungite stones are a new addition to the filtration process since our last visit. The distilled spirit enters from the top, and flows downward through the layers of platinum pellets & shungite, and exits the bottom of the cylinder as Big Machine Platinum (& Shungite) Filtered Premium Vodka.
While the vodka and moonshine can be bottled after distillation, the whiskey must age. It is barreled, and the barrels are then stored and aged off-site.
Since Big Machine Distillery is in Tennessee, the primary whiskey that they make is, appropriately, Tennessee Whiskey. Tennessee Whiskey must undergo the Lincoln County Process, unless it is made by
Prichard's Distillery (a story for another day) Essentially, the Lincoln County Process (aka LCP) is a method where the new make, fresh off the still, is slowly passed through a significant depth of sugar maple charcoal. The idea is that the whiskey's flavor will be further "mellowed". Since we last visited, Big Machine has put their Lincoln County Process front and center, and visitors can watch the new make trickle into the charcoal right before their eyes!
Another nice addition to the Big Machine Distillery visitor experience is the "Bottle Your Own" stations. These are available for both the vodka and barrel strength versions of the Clayton James Tennessee Whiskey. They may be a bit gimmicky, but I love the experience, and will do it whenever I can. So, needless to say, I did it this time as well. The 142.2 proof Clayton James Tennessee Whiskey that I put in my bottle is just fantastic!
The Big Machine Distillery Gift Shop also received an upgrade. Guests are able to sample all of the distillery’s spirits, and cocktails are also served. In addition to the Bottle Your Own spirits, all of Big Machine's spirits are available for purchase, as well as a full line of logo merchandise.
Big Machine Distillery now has two other locations:
- The Nashville location, The Tasting Room, at 122 3rd Avenue South offers tastings, tours, cocktails, live music and a bottle your own experience.
- The Berry Hill location, the Big Machine Tavern, also in Nashville, is at 2824 Bransford Ave. It is a tavern offering dining, drinks and acoustic music.
When we visited the Lynnville location the first time, Chief Distiller Clayton was very welcoming and spent time with us. During this visit, current Master Distiller Devin, and our host Rudy, did the same. It is this kind of personal touch and passion for what they do that makes distilleries like Tenn South, and now Big Machine Distillery, so special. They are definitely worth a visit if you are anywhere in the area.