Watch Out, Jack Daniel's: There's A New Spirit In Town

A sipping cream, you say? What might be the strangest spirit description we've heard in a while is taking all of Nashville by storm: the Tennessee Sipping Cream. 

The 40-proof, cream-based liqueur, from the artisan distillery SPEAKeasy Spirits, still captures all of that Tennessee whiskey flavor you're looking for. The passion project of liquor industry veterans Jeff and Jenny Pennington, Whisper Creek is made with charcoal-mellowed, single-batch Tennessee whiskey — making it the one and only cream-based liqueur that can truly call itself a Tennessee sipping cream.

Where typical cream liqueurs are generally vodka- or rum-based, the Penningtons wanted to create a spirit that harnessed the unique flavor of Tennessee whiskey. So they enlisted friend and chef Deb Paquette (of local haunch Etch) to help them develop the perfect flavor profile: on the nose, creamy caramel, vanilla and butterscotch with notes of burnt molasses, red apple, fig and pecan on the palate. But the recipe is really quite simple: Collier and McKeel whiskey, fresh dairy cream, and a handful of all-natural, secret ingredients. "Instead of coming up with something trendy, we set out to create a new classic that¹s distinctly Tennessee," said co-founder Jeff Pennington in a release. 

The founders recommend Whisper Creek in cocktails with similar flavors: cinnamon whiskey, butterscotch liqueur, even chai all serve as complements to the sweet cream. And of course, Jack Daniel's. Looking for it in Nashville? Check out Red Door Saloon, Oak Bar, Hermitage,1808 at the Hutton Hotel and Lockeland Table for some sweet cocktails.