H. Clark Distillery pioneers whiskey revival in Tennessee

More than a decade has passed since Heath Clark took the idea of craft distilling to the state legislature. At the time, several small whiskey distilleries were popping up across the nation as the popularity of bourbon soared. Despite the popularity across the country, the road to making legal whiskey in Tennessee outside of Lynchburg and Tullahoma was not an easy one.

For almost 100 years, making whiskey in 92 of Tennessee’s 95 counties was illegal. Clark, though, without any experience writing or lobbying legislation, was determined to change that.

Working as a lawyer for a medical firm in Nashville in 2008, Clark began looking into what it would take to change the law.

“I kept on and on about it to the point that my then boss swung his chair around and told me, ‘You need to shut up and go do it,” Clark said.

Heath Clark, founder of H. Clark Distillery in Thompson’s Station. (Photo by Chris Yow)

That was all it took. From there, Clark began talking to a few people here and a few more there, and even went as far as talking to a fulltime lobbyist. Turned out, there was no need for a lobbyist, but rather a dentist.

“My dentist had another patient named Bill Ketron,” Clark said. Ketron was a state senator who had worked on Tennessee’s spirit laws for a while. “He liked my ideas which, following much behind- the-scenes negotiating, finally became Senate Bill 1955.”

That bill eventually passed in February 2009, and Clark began distilling his first batch of the H. Clark Distillery’s Tennessee Bourbon. The first barrel was bottled and released for sale on Dec. 5, 2016, the anniversary of prohibition ending in the United States.

Clark grew up in Tullahoma, under the shadow of the George Dickel Distillery, and had family members who worked for nearby Jack Daniel’s Distillery, breeding a love for the spirit and the process early in his life.

The tasting room inside the H. Clark Distillery. (Photo by Chris Yow)

“Having family members working at Jack Daniels, I was fortunate in getting to visit often,” he said. “Early on I fell in love with the aromas of mash, processing procedures, of course their whiskey – which led my concerns over prohibition-like laws preventing the distilling of whiskey.”

Once his obsession turned into a successful venture, there have been a multitude of craft distilleries popping up in the area and across the state. Moonshine companies, like Sugarland Shine and Ole Smoky Moonshine, have created a massive buzz around East Tennessee with their tastings as well.

In 2017, Tennessee’s tourism department created a 25-stop Tennessee Whiskey Trail, which includes H. Clark Distillery. In 2018, 6.3 million people visited the trail, more than Dollywood and Graceland combined.

“The Tennessee Whiskey Trail is a joint effort by all of our guild members to feature Tennessee whiskey and moonshine, as well as the craftsmen and women that make them. On the trail, visitors can learn about the art of distilling and about the history and culture of whiskey-making that is legendary in our state,” said Kris Tatum, president of the Tennessee Distillers Guild.

“Tennessee is known the world over for our hospitality and music and our whiskey. The Tennessee Whiskey Trail connects all these cultural cornerstones for folks looking for a unique experience of Tennessee. We hope that folks from all over the world

will come and join our cultural family. Being part of the Tennessee Whiskey Trail is an honor and a privilege and at H Clark Distillery we look forward to showing our visitors how special this part of the state is by showcasing our spirits and helping them find other ways to experience our local culture,” Clark added.

The trail can be completed in stages or can follow a 10-day itinerary on the website. “This trail puts an international spotlight on Tennessee and its whiskey culture. We hope to see people come from all over the world just to get a taste of this once-in-alifetime Tennessee whiskey experience,” Tatum said.