I’ve been to quite a few distillery tours, but none quite as small as that of Short Mountain Distillery in Woodbury, Tennessee, sometime in late 2024. We started outside the rollup garage doors of their production facility/headquarters/gift shop, went inside to look at the production equipment, then stepped back outside to have a tasting. Still, it was a fun tour and I ended up leaving with a bottle of their Barrel Strength Bourbon, available only at the distillery.
Their mash bill for bourbon consists of 70% corn, 10% malted barley, 5% oat malt, and 5% rye malt. What struck me about this description on their website was that it contained oats, something I’ve never seen in a bourbon before…and that the numbers only added up to 90%…anyway, my bottle came from barrel #170 and was bottled at 117 proof (58.5% ABV). When I bought it, I believe they said the whiskey from that barrel was either 7 or 8 years old.
In the glass the Short Mountain was a medium amber color. I swirled it around and got a sweet honey up front with loads of vanilla and something in the way of an apple or pear note…hard to say because it was faint. Taking a sip, I found it to be very sweet right up front with a creaminess to the mouthfeel. It started off not drinking like a 117 proof, but by the time it hit the back of my palate, it did before fire. Subsequent sips weren’t quite as fiery and I picked up some citrus and bread notes along with a bright cinnamon burn.
Short Mountain is making some quality moonshines and whiskies, but I expect that many of you readers won’t get to try them because their distribution is pretty limited, even here in Tennessee. If you get the chance, though, visit their distillery, take the tour (and tasting), and get yourself into some really good small batch, craft-made spirits.
