Nashville Distillery Innovates With Modern Spirit Made With Ancient, Local Grain
A Look At Nashville Craft Distillery’s Famous Sorghum Spirit
Famed for its creativity and deep-rooted tradition, Nashville Craft Distillery is perfecting the art of the sorghum spirit, adding a modern twist to a classic Southern staple. This delicious liquor is an inventive recreation of a timeless favorite, conjured from the local Muddy Pond Sorghum.
Tennessee’s Affinity For Whiskey
Tennessee’s liquor scene is dominantly known for its whiskey, but Nashville Craft Distillery is purposefully expanding the horizons. Using an ancient grain, the distillery is creating a unique spirit that not only pays tribute to long-standing practices but also provides a valuable boost to local farmers in the Volunteer State.
Embracing Regional Ingredients in a Unique Way
Bruce Boeko, president and master distiller of Nashville Craft Distillery, steers the production towards making small-batch spirits that harness the goodness of regional ingredients. Boeko’s repertoire includes a honey liqueur and a botanically infused absinthe with an unexpectedly vibrant green hue. But it is his innovative creation – a spirit made from Muddy Pond sorghum – that truly stands out.
The Sorghum Saga
Native to Africa, Sorghum is a close relative to Asian sugarcane. While sugarcane is traditionally used to make rum, sorghum, surprisingly, doesn’t belong to any recognized spirit class. “Making a spirit from sorghum is very much like making a rum, but the federal government doesn’t let you call it rum,” says Boeko. Sorghum’s story in Tennessee is centuries old, making it a fitting protagonist in the narrative of Tennessee’s home-grown spirit.
A Boon for Farmers and Consumers Alike
Considering its association with the local terroir, the crafted spirit holds great appeal for consumers seeking something uniquely Tennessee-made and gives farmers an innovative way to enhance their revenue streams within the craft bear and liquor industries.
Leveraging Tennessee’s Agrarian Landscape
Old Glory Distilling Co., another local distillery, utilizes corn and wheat sourced from Tennessee’s Longview Farms and rye and malted barley from Batey Farms in Murfreesboro. “Right now, all of our grain is Tennessee-grown grain,” says co-founder and Clarksville native Matt Cunningham. As the distillery scales up, the procurement from local farmers looks set to increase, forging a stronger partnership and community spirit.
The Sweet Syrup Revival
Boeko chanced upon sorghum syrup thanks to the familial anecdotes of a lab mate. Created by pressing the juice from the stalks of just-harvested sorghum plant and simmering it to form a sweet syrup, the production process is both labor-intensive and necessitates special equipment. This has prompted farmers to collaborate and share their resources, resulting in a syrup that outshines the usual sugar in terms of flavor profile.
Sorghum: A Flavor Powerhouse
Although sorghum fell out of favor after World War II, its rediscovery by the food industry has given the sweet syrup a major shove back into the limelight. “Here’s a sweetener young chefs didn’t know about that has a unique flavor,” said Mark Guenther, a Muddy Pond Farmer, referencing its popularization among the food community.
Defying Norms: Sorghum Spirit, The Underdog
Despite the Federal government’s refusal to classify sorghum spirit under rum or whiskey, Nashville Craft Distillery continues producing and selling its two versions the Naked Biscuit Sorghum Spirit and the Golden Biscuit Sorghum Spirit, locally. Boeko remains optimistic about its localized success, feeling that it adds another dimension to the state’s liquor narrative. “Everybody’s got their story,” Boeko said. “You’re telling a story that’s more rich than just: ‘Everyone’s making the same thing.'”
