Dickel sues Tennessee over liquor storage requirement

Friday, March 28, 2014, Vol. 38, No. 13

NASHVILLE (AP) - Whiskey maker George Dickel is suing to overturn a Tennessee law that requires liquor to be stored in or around the county where it is distilled.

Dickel, which is owned by global liquor giant Diageo PLC, said it stores all of its Tennessee Whisky at its distillery about 60 miles south of Nashville. But other products are stored at a company-owned distillery in Louisville, Ky.

The lawsuit comes following a legislative fight over the state's legal definition of Tennessee whiskey. Diageo led the effort to scuttle a year-old law enacted at the behest of Jack Daniel's. Lawmakers punted that measure to a study committee after the Legislature adjourns.

Jack Daniel's, which is owned by Louisville-based Brown-Forman Corp., is made about 15 miles down the road from the Dickel distillery