Jeremy Reed
“Doors Open Wide”
Jefferson City, Tennessee was initially named Mossy Creek by the early settlers due to the vivid green plant lining most of the area’s rivers and streams. According to history, the business and professional men of the town were called “Mossbacks” and were recognized as such when they traveled to other areas of the state. Not necessarily enamored with the name, in 1901, the city-folk strongly supported changing the name from Mossy Creek to Jefferson City, in honor of President Thomas Jefferson.
Seventy-five years later, on September 27, 1976, Jeremy T. Reed was born in Jefferson City and grew up there, as did his friend Daniel Taylor. As adults, they built careers in different places, Reed stayed home, while Taylor built his vocation in San Antonio, Texas. But the two remained close and eventually turned their shared interest in whiskey into a solid business plan. Eventually, in 2020, they launched the Pursue Bourbon brand, but did so in the beginning without a home base for their spirit. Reed was sitting in a car a few months later when his friend called him up to see if there was interest in basing a distillery in Jefferson City. After a resounding “Yes,” Reed and Taylor then set about establishing a physical home for their hooch. In December, 2021, the partners opened Mossback Distilling in the downtown district of Jefferson City. The building chosen for the enterprise had been an abandoned old Chrysler dealership from the 1930s, now renovated into a state-of-the-art production area and a gorgeous tasting room, which doubles as both a craft-cocktail lounge and community anchor. In the lounge, vintage furniture and beautifully stained wood frames luxurious seating that is interestingly juxtaposed against raw whiskey barrels, never letting the patron forget that he is in a working distillery, albeit a spotless, hi-tech one. The bar is ancient-looking, and ordering from it feels like stepping back in time.
As one might expect from a small southern town, during the seeding process, other downtown Jefferson City businesses were ever-encouraging and supportive to the partners, doing anything they could to help Mossback to get on its feet. Relationships between the merchants have persisted to create an energy of cooperation that has continued to come into play as Reed’s vision has taken shape.
For distilling expertise, Reed and Taylor tapped the skills of local talent Kevin Daniel. A former homebrewer with a knack for fine-tuning fermentation, Daniel worked his way into distilling by sheer persistence, learning by experimentation how yeast behaves, how grains express flavor, and how patient barrel management transforms raw spirit into something worth sharing. At Mossback, Daniel uses only regional corn and other grains to keep the whiskey’s identity grounded in Tennessee soil. Visitors often describe Daniel as approachable and deeply curious, someone just as excited about experimental mash bills as he is about walking a newcomer through their first tasting. With Reed, Taylor, and Daniel, Mossback has earned a reputation for thoughtful, small-batch whiskey built not on gimmicks but on precision, authenticity, and an uncommon pride in craft.
Once settled comfortably into its new location, Mossback set about releasing other expressions, including Triple V vodka, Long Street Straight American Whiskey, Atlas Spiced Rum, White Rum, and a smooth moonshine, aptly named 115 Old AJ Highway. Then the distillery quickly layered on partnerships. In May 2022, East Tennessee’s local Minor League baseball team, the Knoxville Smokies, announced a bourbon co-branded with Mossback. Then, in October 2024, the distillery and licensee Syzygy Forge announced Mossback as the exclusive distiller for collectible spirits inspired by The Lord of the Rings and Mortal Kombat; Reed said the team was “Paying attention to every detail from the spirits themselves all the way to product packaging,” framing the project as both a craft exercise and a community boost for downtown Jefferson City.
In addition to Mossback, Reed is also the director and co-owner at People 2 Places (P2P) Transportation. That regional enterprise provides non-emergent medical transportation services. Jeremy holds both a Bachelor's degree and a Master’s degree from nearby Tusculum College. He also possesses a Lean Six Sigma Green Belt certification, demonstrating a serious commitment to process improvement and efficient production methodologies. As if that was not enough, Reed is also a long-term practitioner of Jeet Kune Do (often abbreviated JKD), the martial art and philosophy developed by Bruce Lee.
Jeremy is married to his wife and partner, April, and while the Reeds hope that Mossback will be a place where friendships become familiar and comfortable as people gather, they also realize that the distillery environment is often dominated by cigar-smoking men waxing poetic about masculine topics. So Jeremy and April have been conscientious about including women in the decision-making processes. As a result, many of the distillery’s employees are women. In fact, two of the first employees brought on board were Amy and Jessica Jeffers, who oversee the myriad of complex compliance issues involved in running an alcohol-related business. Being in a small town, the Reeds had known both ladies for years and were happy to place their trust in the two. “I don’t feel like I’m a ‘woman in the industry,’" beamed Jessica, “I just feel like I’m in the industry.” Added Amy, “We’re not just hanging out in the ‘boy’s club.’ We’re a part of it and it’s very exciting.” Meanwhile, the distillery’s designers, the house photographer, the tasting house manager and all of the mixologists at Mossback are female. In the end, the distillery has become more than a business; it is a kind of front-porch for the whole town. Reed, who had already proven himself through a lifetime of hands-on work and successful ventures, has never acted like he was above any task. He swept the floors with the same quiet pride that he used to sign checks, and he knows every employee’s name, their kids’ names, and, more importantly, their worth.
In a small, conservative town where some predicted his idea would never take root, Reed has opened the doors wide, welcomed everyone in, and let the place speak for itself. Little by little, the community stepped closer past the church parking lots and familiar routines to find laughter and neighborly warmth inside Mossback’s tasting room. Now, the distillery hums with Friday-night conversations and clinking glasses, a symbol not of rebellion against tradition but of how new ideas can strengthen a town rather than divide it. And as he looks around at the faces, old-timers, newcomers, and everyone in between, Jeremy Reed knows that the greatest spirit he ever created wasn’t in a barrel at all.
Sources:
Mossback Distilling, mossbackdistilling.com/story; mossbackdistilling.com/distillery
Tennessee Smokies, “Smokies partner with Mossback Distilling”, May 4, 2022
Alamo Distilling/About, alamodistilling.com
PR Web, Syzygy Forge, “East Tennessee Distillery Tapped to Create The Lord of the Rings and Mortal Combat Collectible Spirits”, October 13, 2024, prweb.com
Citizen Tribune/Lakeway Magazine (Morristown, Tennessee), “Pursue brings unique flavor to downtown Jefferson City”, Drew C. Robinson, Jul 29, 2022
Contributed by Tracy McLemore, Fairview, Tennessee
