True Tennessee Whiskey is special. It's not just whiskey made in Tennessee. And it's not Bourbon Whiskey. It's more. To make Collier and McKeel, first they bring limestone filtered water from the family farm on the Big Richland Creek and use it to make a mash of corn, rye and malted barley. Then they distill it in their hand-hammered copper pot still. At this point, it changes from plain whiskey to Tennessee Whiskey when they drip it through several feet of sugar maple charcoal, made from trees cut by local sawmills and burned on the farm. This gives Collier and McKeel the smooth, sweet, smoky taste that Tennessee Whiskey is known for. Only true Tennessee Whiskey is put through this extra step. They age Collier and McKeel in very small barrels that are far more expensive than standard sized barrels but adds intense flavors. Unlike some whiskies that have an artificial time table for the proper time in a barrel, they determine when it's time to bottle the old fashioned way: when it tastes right.