Chattanooga Whiskey

Overview of the Distillery

Chattanooga Whiskey is a modern Tennessee-based distillery founded in 2011 with the aim of bringing whiskey distillation back to the city. The company operates two locations in Chattanooga: a publicly accessible Experimental Distillery dedicated to innovation and a Riverfront Distillery that houses the largest production expressions. Notably, their "Tennessee High Malt" approach, solera finish, and a continuous stream of experimental single-batch and barrel-finish releases stand out.

History

The history begins in 2011, when Tim Piersant and Joe Ledbetter start a movement to reopen distillation in Hamilton County. After local and state lobbying, 'The Whiskey Bill' is enacted in May 2013, paving the way for local production. In 2014, a 100-gallon Experimental Distillery is built, and in March 2015 the first Chattanooga distillations begin. In November 2015, '100' is released, the first immature whiskey produced locally in over 100 years. A larger Riverfront Distillery is built from 2016 with an indicated capacity of 50–60 barrels per week and put into operation in 2017. Since then, the distillery has launched its Experimental Single Batch Series, scaled its Tennessee High Malt signature recipe to 91 and Cask 111 in 2019, and introduced Bottled in Bond vintage releases and a range of barrel-finishing projects. In 2023, the company received an Icons of Whisky award as Craft Producer of the Year.

Raw Materials and Production

The raw materials range from yellow corn to a variety of specialty malts; Tennessee High Malt recipes contain at least 25% specialty malted grains. Fermentation is tempered and typically lasts seven days, after which distillation occurs at low proof levels in a specially built column still. Small batch sizes (typically 6–12 barrels for single-batch releases) and hand-selected lots are the norm for experimental releases. Riverfront Distillery serves as the production facility for the core expressions, while Experimental Distillery functions as the development and tasting center. The company does not always chill-filter and bottles some expressions unfiltered to preserve barrel sediment and barrel character.

Maturation and Barrel Types

The base maturation takes place in toasted and charred 53-gallon oak barrels. For 91, a 4,000-gallon charred oak solera tank is used, topped up with 8–12 mature barrels after each bottling. Silver gets only a very short contact with the cask in a single-use barrel (minimum one hour) before bottling. In addition, the distillery systematically experiments with a wide range of finish barrels, such as Pinot Noir, Cabernet, Port, Islay Scotch, and maple syrup barrels, to create capsule and barrel-finishing releases.

Whiskies

The core range centers on the Tennessee High Malt line: 91 (solera-finished), Cask 111 (unfiltered single-batch), Silver (white whiskey), and 99 Rye (straight rye malt). In addition to these, Chattanooga Whiskey has an active Bottled in Bond vintage series, Founder's Anniversary Blends, and a Barrel Finishing Series with finishes on various wine and specialty casks. The Experimental Distillery regularly delivers single-batch and single-barrel releases, often appearing as limited or seasonal releases.

Whisky	Type / Series	Alcohol	Age	Barrels and Style	Flavor Profile	Status
91	Straight Bourbon Whiskey; Tennessee High Malt	45.5 %	Greater than 2 years	Toasted & Charred Oak Barrels (53 gallon) and Charred Oak Solera Barrel (4,000 gallon); finish: Solera finishing; solera top-up with 8–12 mature barrels after each bottling	Signature Tennessee High Malt recipe with at least 25% specialty malted grains, tempered 7-day fermentation, low-proof distillation in a special column still and solera finish; Nose: butterscotch pudding, dried apricot, honeyed toast; Taste: pound cake, confection-rich and malt-forward character; Finish: long, malt-sweet finish	Current; Core Range
Cask 111	Straight Bourbon Whiskey; Tennessee High Malt	55.5 %	Greater than 2 years	Toasted & Charred Oak Barrels (53 gallon)	Unfiltered, single-batch expression of the signature mash bill; small 6–10 barrel lots selected for clear cask-character. Fermented tempered in 7 days.; Nose: Chocolate covered cherry, toasted coconut; Taste: Cinnamon and full, malt-forward body; Finish: Warm, malt-forward finish; bottles may contain some barrel sediment due to no filtration	Current; Core Range
99 Rye	Straight Rye Malt Whiskey; Tennessee Rye Malt	49.5 %	Greater than 3 years	Toasted & Charred Oak Barrels (53 gallon)	Malt-forward approach to rye with slowly toasted and drum-roasted rye malts; tempered fermentation in 7 days, bottles unfiltered and may contain barrel sediment; Nose: Fruit cake, cola spice; Taste: Sage and toasted rye; Finish: Malt-forward sweet and spicy finish	Current; Core Range
Silver	White Whiskey (Whiskey from a bourbon mash); Tennessee High Malt	50 %	No less than 1 hour	Single-Use Charred Oak Barrels (53 gallon); finish: Short contact ('kiss') with a single-use barrel before bottling at 100 proof.	The 'white' interpretation of Tennessee High Malt; short contact time with the barrel to soften the distillate without traditional aging; Nose: Honeysuckle, pear; Taste: Graham cracker; Finish: Caramel corn	Current; Core Range
Bottled in Bond: Spring 2022 Vintage	Bottled in Bond Bourbon; Bottled in Bond Vintage Series			Charred Oak Barrels	Seasonal vintage blend consisting of Tennessee High Malt mash bills, barreled January–June 2022.	New Release
Founder's 14th Anniversary Blend	Blend of Straight Whiskeys; Founder's Anniversary Blend			Solera Barrels (separate solera-fade); finish: Blend of three straight whiskeys finished in three separate solera-fade.	Commemorative blend of three straight whiskeys finished in three separate solera-fade; distilled both in Chattanooga, TN and Lawrenceburg, IN.	New Release
Michigan Maple Syrup (Barrel Finishing Series)	Barrel Finished Bourbon			Maple syrup casks (late harvest maple syrup casks); finish: Finishing in late harvest maple syrup casks from Michigan.	Part of the Barrel Finishing Series; a blend of two straight bourbon mash bills finished in specific maple-syrup casks.	Current
Triple Islay Cask (Barrel Finishing Series)	Cask Finished Blend			Islay scotch casks; finish: Finished in Islay Scotch barrels from three different distilleries; made with a peated Tennessee High Malt mash bill; smoky/peaty	An experiment in combining a peated Tennessee malt with finish in three different Islay-finish casks.	Current
Founder's 13th Anniversary Blend	Blend of Straight Whiskeys; Founder's Anniversary Blend	50 %			A previous year's anniversary blend consisting of three straight whiskeys finished in separate solera-fade; listed as 'Sold Out' on product pages.	Sold Out

Whiskey Style and Flavor Profile

The style is consistently malt-focused with several cross-cutting notes across the lineup: dried fruit and fresh fruit (dried apricot, pear, cherry), bakery- and malt-derived sweet notes such as butterscotch, pound cake, and honeyed toast, and spicy elements in the rye expressions (cola spice, sage, cinnamon). Cask-forward releases also emphasize pronounced cask influence and, in some experiments, darker notes such as chocolate and toasted coconut.

Visit the Distillery

The public can visit the Experimental Distillery for tours and tastings; this location serves as the company’s public innovation center. The Riverfront Distillery is dedicated to production and is currently not open to the public. Visits and tours can be booked via the distillery’s pages, and there is an option to rent an Event Hall for events.

Philosophy and Craft

The company carries the motto "Whiskey to the People" and has a clearly articulated experimental approach: focus on specialty-malted grains, a long fermentation, solera finishes, and frequent barrel-finishing experiments. Chattanooga Whiskey emphasizes distilling, aging, and bottling in Chattanooga and uses both small-batch formats and hand-selected single-batch lots to promote variation and innovation.

Awards and Recognitions

Craft Producer of the Year (2026)
Icons of Whisky - Craft Producer of the Year (2023, Craft Producer of the Year (America & Global))