Peg Leg Porker Tennessee Straight Bourbon Whiskey

Carey Bringle has spent a lifetime cooking hogs over hickory, and his bourbon runs on the same fuel. The Nashville pitmaster behind the Peg Leg Porker barbecue restaurant filters his Tennessee straight bourbon through hickory charcoal after aging rather than before barreling, flipping the state's traditional Lincoln County process and trading its sugar maple for the wood of his trade. Bottled at 90 proof, it noses on caramel and honey with a subtle smokiness underneath; the palate brings caramel, vanilla, and toasted oak with a delicate nuttiness; charred wood and a hint of spice carry the finish. Sip it neat next to something smoked; it was designed by a man who would know.