Or How Just A Little Knowledge Becomes A Sad Thing… By Richard Thomas One of the bedrock conceits taught at journalism school is that a trained journalist can take on any topic and write an intelligent story. That might be true in theory, because in theory a writer can spend the time to become sufficiently educated on a subject so ...

By Richard Thomas Diageo opened Round Two of the Tennessee whiskey battle by going to court last Friday, filing a lawsuit in Federal Court against Tennessee Alcoholic Beverage Commission Director Keith Bell according to Courthouse News Service. The London-based drinks giant is seeking to overturn a 1937 law that prohibits Tennessee liquor-makers from storing and aging their products anywhere but ...

By Richard Thomas Drinks giant Diageo’s push to rewrite Tennessee’s new whiskey law allowing used barrel whiskey to enjoy the label of “Tennessee whiskey” has been tabled until summer amid fierce controversy. According to The Tennessean, State Senator Mark Green (R-Clarksville) moved for the contentious bill to be sent to a summer study committee. Practically speaking, this means the original ...

By Richard Thomas The most speculated upon aspect of Diageo’s attempt to gut Brown-Forman’s 2013 Tennessee whiskey law is the provision that would allow Tennessee whiskey to be made with used barrels. Rather than seek to repeal the provision of the law that enshrines the Lincoln County Process, or drip-filtration through maplewood charcoal, Diageo has taken the tack of trying ...

By Richard Thomas Last year, the state of Tennessee passed a law defining Tennessee whiskey, giving it a solid, distinctive status under the law. Now that law is facing its first real test, in the form of a legislative gutting. The Wood Makes It Good Tennessee’s whiskey law defined the state’s whiskey as essentially bourbon, made in Tennessee and using ...