Jim Myers

jtmyers@tennessean.com

In an abrupt move sending ripples through whiskey barrels across the state of Tennessee, Allisa Henley, the distiller at George Dickel, has flown east to join her former colleague and boss John Lunn at Popcorn Sutton Distillery in Newport.

Just weeks after the release of a special 17-year-old premium product, Henley shows yet again that the Tennessee Whiskey has the reputation as the ugly stepchild in parent Diageo's portfolio.

Lunn, along with Popcorn Sutton Distilling CEO Megan Kvamme, teamed up on Henley to lure her away, Henley said by phone.

"They're a formidable pair," Henley said.

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This reunion comes after Henley and Lunn worked together at Dickel for 10 years. As a team, they launched George Dickel’s Barrel Select Tennessee Whiskey, a rye whiskey produced outside of Tennessee and a Single Barrel program.

"I was right at 12 years at Dickel, and they were always very good to me. I will never diminish all that was accomplished that I helped contribute to," Henley said.

She and Lunn make a good team, Henley said, with his background in chemical engineering and hers in business and creative marketing. He will continue as the master distiller at Popcorn Sutton while her new title will be master blender, a name more akin to the world of Scotch whiskies. It also hints at her role to develop new products, something she didn't have free reign with under Diageo's management at Dickel.

While Popcorn Sutton is a bit mired in the toothless grin of its scofflaw founder, Lunn brought it a broader, beyond-moonshine credibility when he left Dickel two years ago and made the move to Newport.

Henley will be busy with the company's new brand, Avery's Trail, named for the old Avery Trace, which connected settlers between Knoxville and Nashville.

The first product, out later this year, will be a Tennessee gin, with a "super-secret" recipe, according to Henley. What's next after that will come from Henley and Lunn's swapping of their "pages and pages of ideas."

"I told John (Lunn), I feel like we're getting the band back together," Henley said.

Both she and Lunn are native Tennesseeans. Whatever they do next will respect the state they love so much, Henley said. She hinted that barrel-aged whiskey would not be far behind.

As for Diageo, there's no word yet on who will take the reins at George Dickel, of one of Tennessee's most storied brands.

Reach Jim Myers at 615-259-8367 on Instagram@culinarityand on Twitter@ReadJimMyers.