NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — For all you whiskey fans, there's a man who is just as enthusiastic about the history of Tennessee's spirit.
If you've dabbled with any whiskey-related podcasts, you may have heard of this host before. Drew Hannush goes beyond the simple story in his podcast titled "Whiskey Lore", but he's also a best-selling author.
Hannush's latest book is called "The Lost History of Tennessee Whiskey." His passion for learning about the history drove him to get to the bottom of the truth within that history.
It brought him to the Robertson County Archives for research. Hannush said he would go on distillery tours in Kentucky and Tennessee, but hear conflicting stories. For example, he recalls hearing the name bourbon comes from New Orleans, but another distillery saying it came from Bourbon County, Kentucky.
That's one reason he became fascinated in getting to the bottom of the truth.
Hannush visited other county archives, state archives, and even the National Archives all to look at newspapers and documents to learn the original history. His book is like a textbook, focused on the earliest involvement of Tennessee whiskey, Prohibition, the politics behind the spirit, and the beginning of the state's biggest brands.
"You can sort of start piecing things together," Hannush said. "Then you find stories that haven't been told that are even more interesting then the stories that you went in to initially research."
To learn more about the book and where you can get a copy, click here.
Here’s a beautiful story of how one mother turned her grief journey into a gathering of gratitude… and organ donation awareness.
Robb Coles highlights a special event organized by Cari Hollis – whose 26-year old son Austin died two years ago. Austin agreed to be an organ donor – and that single gesture saved multiple lives.
Cari reached out to as many recipients she could find – several of whom traveled to Nashville for an emotional celebration in Austin’s honor. One woman – whose life was saved by receiving Austin’s lungs – put it simply: “He’s my angel”.
- Rhori Johnston
