Opened in Spring of 2015, the Chattanooga Whiskey Experimental Distillery is making the first legal whiskey distilled in Chattanooga in over 100 years. It’s part experiment and innovation lab, part museum and all good. It’s a place to showcase the craft process and the whiskey tradition we come from, while also allowing us to get creative with techniques and showcase our current product. Each tour concludes with a full tasting of Chattanooga Whiskey and locally-produced Dr. Thacher’s Cocktail Syrup. We spoke to the CEO and Founder Tim Piersant about the whisky making experience.
Tim, tell us a bit about yourself.
TP: I was born and raised in Chattanooga, TN. Graduated from Auburn where I met my wife, and we moved back to downtown Chattanooga to start our lives back in 2005. We’ve been married for 12 years have two daughters, 5 and 3.
Please tell me how the distillery came about? What was your vision.
TP: A friend of mine and I had the idea to start Chattanooga Whiskey back in 2011, and then immediately launched a Facebook page without a plan, which received a lot of attention quickly. The vision was to be the first distillery back in Chattanooga in 100 years, only produce a high quality aged whiskey (bourbon whiskey), and be a staple in the Chattanooga community.
What have been the main challenges involved in setting up a new distillery? And what has been the part you’ve enjoyed most?
TP: The two biggest obstacles were having to change Tennessee state laws in order to be able to distill, which took 2 years of fighting/lobbying, along with managing a co founder relationship throughout the ebbs and flows of starting a business. Fortunately, we won the law battle and we are growing faster than ever before today, but unfortunately the co founder relationship was painfully lost during the battle.
The challenges to setting up the first distillery were changing the laws, finding the right location, and finding the right distiller. The first two were difficult, but finding our head distiller was fortunately the easy part. The best parts have been having our head distiller, Grant McCracken, on the team producing amazing product, indulging in the space with our team, and most importantly seeing the enjoyment our customers get out of the distillery.
What lessons have you learned in this industry that you can share with our readers looking to get into the spirit distillation themselves?
TP: Lessons: Spend time finding the right partners, setting up a good operating agreement, spend money on high quality equipment, get the right general contractor, don’t under-capitalize, don’t let laws stand in your way, don’t underestimate your marketing budget, don’t focus on too many products/product lines.
What whiskey expressions are you currently producing?
TP: We currently sell 1816 Reserve (90 proof straight bourbon), 1816 Cask (113.6 proof straight bourbon), and 1816 Single Barrel (barrel proof straight bourbon whiskey).
Both Reserve and Cask are big award winners: Double Gold in San Francisco, and Best Small Batch Bourbon at International Whisky Competition. It is a 75% corn, 21% rye, 4% malted barley that we sourced from LDI/MGP due to the legality of distilling in Chattanooga.
We are releasing Chattanooga Whiskey “Experimental Series” this summer, which will be 100% made in Chattanooga, and is a straight bourbon whiskey line north of 2 years old. We’ll also be releasing a line called Chattanooga Whiskey “Native” that is a beer barrel aged bourbon, using our own barrels in partnership with breweries. Be on the lookout for much much more!
Do you source the ingredients locally ?
TP: We source as much locally as possible. All of our corn for the Chattanooga Whiskey Experimental Distillery is local. We use a variety of specialty malts, which are not readily available or well grown in our immediate area.
Does the geographic location and the climate affect the maturation process?
TP: Absolutely, being in TN has a positive effect on the maturation of the product with the hot, hot summers. We do not climate control our warehouses, and we use 53 gallon new American White Oak, so these hot summers are important to the aging process. Regardless, we don’t age anything for less than two years.
What are the most important factors affecting whisky distillation? How do you ensure that these are carefully balanced to produce a consistently high quality product?
TP: 50% ingredients/process, 50% aging. We are big on our mash bills carrying forward, using a high percentage of specialty malts than the average distiller, with a mentality that “great whiskey comes from great beer” – a term coined by us. Grant McCracken was the head brewer of R&D for Boston Beer, so we’re big on controlled fermentations and specialty malts with a nice foundation of corn to speak to well rounded traditional bourbons.
Walk us through the distillation process. From grain to glass? Is there a flavor profile you’re looking for before bottling the whiskey
TP: We look for complexity, but flavors that traditional bourbon drinkers are after. Notes of caramel, spice, dark fruit, honey, etc…
What 3 words would you associate with your whiskey?
TP: Smooth, complex, bold. 3 words that are desirable, but difficult to pair.
Where do you see your distillery 5 years from now? What do you want to be known for.
TP: We just built the largest craft distillery in the state of TN, or the 3rd largest distillery in the state of TN, however you’d like to look at it. We are focused on the Southeast, making the highest quality bourbon whiskey to ever come out of TN.
Do you have any role models in the industry?
TP: I have lots of role models, but we don’t want to be just a me-too. My role models are my parents, investors, and employees.
Anything else you’d like to share with our readers?
TP: Thanks for writing about us!
For more information on the distillery, please visit the links below:
website: ChattanoogaWhiskey
facebook: ChattanoogaFB
instagram: ChattanoongaInsta
