Film Screening of “Straight Up: Tennessee Whiskey”

“Straight Up: Tennessee Whiskey” — a film festival favorite and winner of Best Documentary Short at the 2014 Nashville Film Festival — will be screened at the Birthplace of Country Music Museum on Thursday, July 21 at 7:00 p.m. This documentary covers Tennessee’s long history of producing some of the world’s finest liquor, from the hills of moonshine-making to modern liquor artisans in the city. Writer and director Eric Byford will be present to answer questions about the film. The screening of “Straight Up: Tennessee Whiskey” is free and open to the public.

After the film screening, Adam Blankenship — proprietor of Whiskey Rebellion, a soon-to-be open downtown business — will be leading a whiskey tasting at the museum. The tasting will feature a variety of whiskeys, including a rare bottle of George Dickel and a selection from Nelson’s Green Brier Distillery. You must be over 21 to take part in the tasting, and tickets are $5 and must be purchased at the door.

This event is part of the programming to accompany our special exhibit “Made in Tennessee: Manufacturing Milestones.” The exhibit chronicles the rich variety of manufacturing traditions in Tennessee over the past 2 ½ centuries from the early agricultural and craft heritage to our current age of advanced technology and global competition. The diverse panels and artifacts highlight the history of manufacturing in Tennessee, while also featuring a huge variety of the industries and companies that were once found – or still exist – throughout the state, including several local manufacturers.

“Made in Tennessee: Manufacturing Milestones” is a traveling exhibition organized by the East Tennessee Historical Society in Knoxville, Tennessee. The exhibition project was made possible through an educational grant from the Alcoa Foundation to highlight Tennessee’s manufacturing story—past, present, and future. The grant was awarded in honor of Alcoa Tennessee Operations 100th Anniversary and the announcement of its automotive expansion project on May 2, 2013. Additional support comes from the Tennessee Valley Authority.