This 2024 World Cheese Awards Gold medallist is a Southern take on a leaf-wrapped blue: in this case the leaves are fig, and have been soaked in Chattanooga Whiskey before being wrapped around the cheese. The name is derived from both the beautiful Shakerag Hollow known for its wildflowers and rich moonshining past, as well as an old Prohibition era method of either alerting moonshiners to approaching revenue agents, or as a way to procure some white lightening of one's own. Shakerag Blue is a truly southern cheese. The whiskey-soaked fig leaves impart aroma and flavor to the cheese, helping to seal in moisture and create a creamy yet crumbly texture. After 4 months of ageing, it has a sweet and fruity interior is reminiscent of root beer and lends itself to more savory notes of bacon and dark chocolate towards the rind.
 
Sequatchie Cove Creamery is a family-run business owned and operated by Nathan and Padgett Arnold. The focus here is on expressing the local southeastern Tennessee terroir, as well as sustainability; the 100% solar-powered creamery's most substantial waste product, whey, is fed back to the farm's livestock.
 
Pairing: Chattanooga Whiskey (obvi), barley wine, root beer, dried fruits, and raisin toast. It crumbles well for salads and steaks, and deserves a prime spot on the cheese board.
 
Milk: Pasteurized Cow's Milk
Rennet: Animal
Origin: Sequatchie, Tennessee