High Malt Bourbon and Community Support, No LCP Needed: The Story Behind Chattanooga Whiskey

A few years is a lifetime in craft whiskey, and few brands epitomize this more to me than Chattanooga Whiskey. When I first tried them - most likely their now-gone 1816, which was sourced transparently but not representative of where they are today - I was not a fan. Something was off, and I resisted revisiting the brand for years. Then, The Whiskey Bard himself, Nino Kilgore-Marchetti, reached out asking if I wanted to try their new Islay Cask finish.

Why not - it's been a few years, and by my estimation, that's time for a retasting. And bravo to Chattanooga - their "new" whiskey, that is their Tennessee High Malt Bourbon, is excellent, and the Islay Cask finishing series release added to that.

There's a lot to cover in this episode, from uncovering Chattanooga's distilling past to a rip-the-band-aid-off brand transition, all the way to their wins for Craft Producer of the Year 2023 for both the US and the world. Throughout, this episode is a celebration of the craft whiskey movement and the passion driving its revival in Chattanooga. No Lincoln County Process here, folks - this is a Tennessee High Malt Bourbon, loud and proud.

Thank you to Tim for entering the Whiskey Ring!

Thanks to our Presenting Sponsor, BAXUS

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Chattanooga Whiskey

• Chattanooga Whiskey Website
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From Bogs to Bottles: Peat's Unbreakable Bond With Whiskey

This one's for you, Bill.

In this episode of the Whiskey Ring Podcast, I had the pleasure of welcoming Mike Billett, a peatland specialist and researcher, to discuss his newly released book, Peat and Whiskey: The Unbreakable Bond. His passion for peat led him to write a popular science book that not only highlights the scientific aspects of peat but also intertwines it with the cultural and historical significance of whiskey.

There is so much more than can be covered in a single episode or writeup, but we touch on:

• Peat's significance as a fuel source and how that brought it together with whisky
• The changing uses and applications of peat as coal and oil overtook peat as a fuel source
• How peat forms, is stripped, and how it occurs on all 7 continents and a landmass equal to about 3% of the total surface of the earth
• How regionality of peat in whisky is, at best, a red herring, particularly in modern whisky
• The importance of peat in climate change, carbon capture, and why conservation and reconstruction of peatlands are crucial to our future

I cannot recommend Mike's book highly enough. Even if you're not a whisky drinker, you'll have plenty to learn about peat. If you don't love peat, you'll still get a better sense of how the modern whisky landscape developed, through the lenses of taxes, regulations, consolidation and expansion cycles, and the subtle globalization that led Scottish peat to reach Australia, New York, Belgium, and elsewhere all at the same time. Scientifically-interested folks wiil also love the dive into cresols, phenols, and guaiacols. There's more than one PhD thesis I want to read after this interview.

Pick up the book on Amazon or wherever you get your books!

Thank you to Mike for entering the Whiskey Ring!

Thanks to our Presenting Sponsor, BAXUS

Baxus is the world's leading collectible spirits marketplace, with user-friendly options for buyers, sellers, and collectors looking to vault their collections. Use my link below to visit the BAXUS.CO website and sign up!

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If you haven’t joined the Patreon community yet, please consider doing so at patreon.com/whiskeyinmyweddingring

There are four (4) spots available at the $25/month bottle share club level. These are the last spots that will ever be opened without a current member retiring - if you've been waiting, now's the time!

If you haven’t yet, please follow Whiskey in my Wedding Ring and the Whiskey Ring Podcast on Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn, and subscribe to the newsletter on the website.

Peat and Whisky

• Purchase Peat and Whisky

There's More To Western Pennsylvania Than The Whiskey Rebellion!

If you're a whiskey nerd of any level, of course you know this, but it's worth saying again. Previous guests such as Wigle Whiskey and Liberty Pole Spirits have done excellent work exploring the Whiskey Rebellion's place in history and its importance to the area - so if you're a new distillery looking to find your niche, you better bring something new or different to the table.

When Matt Strickland had the opportunity to return stateside from his time at Distillerie Cotes de Saints, the call came from Pittsburgh, but he had a question: what does success look like? And what will set us apart?

Before a drop was distilled or a brick laid, the answer became clear: revive a style of rye (or multiple styles, more accurately) using heritage grains, a pot still, and a three-chamber still, only the second active one in the US and third in the world. Working with only Pennsylvania farmers (including previous guest Bob McDonald) and thought leaders like Laura Fields, Matt built out the distillery with the blessings of his bosses to make it authentic and make it right, efficiency be damned.

Bringing in historically accurate features like 38-43 gallon barrels and brick, steam-heated warehouses similar to what they would have used in the 19th and early 20th centuries, The Iron City Team is creating a new, old, new again style of whiskey. We have a bit more time before the whiskies are ready for the public, but I'm as excited as anyone to try them.

Matt will also be back to talk more about his writing and education after delving a bit into his work in this episode, so more to come!

Thank you to Matt for entering the Whiskey Ring!

Thanks to our Presenting Sponsor, BAXUS

Baxus is the world's leading collectible spirits marketplace, with user-friendly options for buyers, sellers, and collectors looking to vault their collections. Use my link below to visit the BAXUS.CO website and sign up!

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If you haven’t joined the Patreon community yet, please consider doing so at patreon.com/whiskeyinmyweddingring

There are six (6) spots available at the $25/month bottle share club level. These are the last 6 spots that will ever be opened without a current member retiring - if you've been waiting, now's the time!

If you haven’t yet, please follow Whiskey in my Wedding Ring and the Whiskey Ring Podcast on Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn, and subscribe to the newsletter on the website.

Iron City Distilling

• Iron City Distilling Website
• Iron City Distilling on Instagram
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Bats, Bees, and Bushels - Farm Distilling in Georgia

For my first "visit" to Georgia, I wanted to find somewhere that felt truly of the land. You can't do better than Doc Brown Farm & Distillers. Georgia terroir, farming their own heritage corn (Jimmy Red!) and getting whatever they can't grow themselves locally, even Georgia barrels. It's all about Georgia, and it's all about the sense of place.

Amy Brown, her son Dan, and Amy's partner Paige Dockweiler (the "Doc" in Doc Brown) founded Doc Brown in 2019, inspired by an article on Jimmy Red corn in Garden & Gun magazine. Jimmy Red is most known today for use by High Wire Distilling (a recent Whiskey Ring Podcast guest!), but it was in fact grown originally in Georgia before going nearly extinct. Farming is in both families' DNA, stretching as far back as 1816 in the US, and despite day jobs as banker, RN, and pilot, the farm is where all three felt they really belonged.

Doc Brown is about Georgia and partnership. Inspired by collaborative brands such as Bardstown Bourbon Company and Barrell, the team has created a simple yet strong set of bourbons that reflect their heritage. Uncle Bogue (cask strength), Effie Jewel (92 proof), and the upcoming Resurrection Red all play on the family histories and gorgeous Jimmy Red corn. Seriously - the kernels look like pomegranate seeds, little garnet jewels.

Jimmy Red gives you one harvest per year, and with one crop, annual yields can vary widely. Off-season crop rotations ensure the land isn't overworked, and bees and bats pollinate and keep away pests naturally. Once the corn reaches optimal moisture (~14%), it's run through the mill, fermented, and distilled within 48-72 hours. This is the spirit of true farm distilling, with the only caveat being more partnership: distillation is done at the Distillery of Modern Art, still in-state. Amy is passionate about farming and taking care of the land, and that passion emanates from her during this interview. I hope you enjoy hearing it as much as I enjoyed the conversation!

Thank you to Amy for entering the Whiskey Ring!

Thanks to our Presenting Sponsor, BAXUS

Baxus is the world's leading collectible spirits marketplace, with user-friendly options for buyers, sellers, and collectors looking to vault their collections. Use my link below to visit the BAXUS.CO website and sign up!

• BAXUS Website
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If you haven’t joined the Patreon community yet, please consider doing so at patreon.com/whiskeyinmyweddingring

There are six (6) spots available at the $25/month bottle share club level. These are the last 6 spots that will ever be opened without a current member retiring - if you've been waiting, now's the time!

If you haven’t yet, please follow Whiskey in my Wedding Ring and the Whiskey Ring Podcast on Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn, and subscribe to the newsletter on the website.

Doc Brown Farm and Distillers

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• Doc Brown Farm and Distillers on YouTube

Whiskey in Wyoming, via Nevada and NorCal

It's been nearly 20 years since I visited Wyoming, and I still remember it as one of the most beautiful places in the US. The least populous state, with multitudes more cattle and sheep than people, it is nonetheless one of astounding natural beauty, where small towns abound and you know your neighbors and who's growing your grain.

This was the place Chad Brown wanted to bring his family. After years in Nevada working for the Gaming Commission and a small brewing hobby in his garage, a conversation with his cousin brought up the question: if they were making pennies on a batch of barley, where was the money going? There were so many breweries - what about starting a distillery?

Tasting notes for this episode

There's a long thread to explore there, but the key is this: Chad moved to Pine Bluffs, WY, in the southeast corner by the capital, Cheyenne, a town with "more elevation than people." Over the last decade, he and his team have founded and grown Pine Bluffs Distilling into a destination and a grain-to-glass distillery working with local farmers (we're talking between 15-25 miles away from the farm depending on the year's crops).

Bourbon, rye, single malt, oated bourbon, oat whiskey, finishes, playing with the flavoring grains to see what would happen, all of it is here. Chad's passion vibrates out of him when he talks, and it's easy to see why Pine Bluffs has a bright future. When your founder cares, it flows to the team and to the guests. It was truly a pleasure to have this be the first distillery I talk to in Wyoming, and thank you to Chad for entering the Whiskey Ring!

Thanks to our Presenting Sponsor, BAXUS

Baxus is the world's leading collectible spirits marketplace, with user-friendly options for buyers, sellers, and collectors looking to vault their collections. Use my link below to visit the BAXUS.CO website and sign up!

• BAXUS Website
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• BAXUS on LinkedIn

_________________________________________________________

If you haven’t joined the Patreon community yet, please consider doing so at patreon.com/whiskeyinmyweddingring

There are six (6) spots available at the $25/month bottle share club level. These are the last 6 spots that will ever be opened without a current member retiring - if you've been waiting, now's the time!

If you haven’t yet, please follow Whiskey in my Wedding Ring and the Whiskey Ring Podcast on Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn, and subscribe to the newsletter on the website.

Pine Bluffs Distilling

• • Pine Bluffs Distilling Website
  • Pine Bluffs Distilling on Instagram
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Makers, Not Fakers: Phil Brandon on Craft Distilling in Little Rock, Arkansas

In this episode of the Whiskey Ring Podcast, I am thrilled to welcome Phil Brandon, the founder and distiller of Rock Town Distillery in Little Rock, Arkansas. As the first legal distillery in the state since before Prohibition, Rock Town emphasizes the importance of local sourcing and building a distillery that reflects the character of Arkansas, despite the challenges of being a pioneer in a state not traditionally known for distilling.

We delve into the craft distilling renaissance and how the landscape has evolved since Rock Town's founding in 2010. Phil discusses the significance of their unofficial motto, "We're makers, not fakers," and the commitment to quality and authenticity that drives their production. He also highlights the historical context of distilling in Arkansas, the challenges of sourcing local ingredients, and the meticulous care that goes into their distillation process, including proofing and filtration techniques.

Finally, we explore Rock Town's future, including a collaboration with Bardstown Bourbon Company which began during the pandemic and has allowed Phil and the team to expand production while maintaining the integrity of the brand. He candidly addresses the differences in flavor profiles between the distillate produced in Little Rock and that made at Bardstown, emphasizing the creation of a separate product line to distinguish these offerings. This episode is a deep dive into the world of craft distilling, showcasing the Rock Town team's passion and commitment to quality in every bottle.

Thanks to our Presenting Sponsor, BAXUS

Baxus is the world's leading collectible spirits marketplace, with user-friendly options for buyers, sellers, and collectors looking to vault their collections. Use my link below to visit the BAXUS.CO website and sign up!

• BAXUS Website
• BAXUS on Instagram
• BAXUS on Facebook
• BAXUS on Twitter/X
• BAXUS on LinkedIn

_________________________________________________________

If you haven’t joined the Patreon community yet, please consider doing so at patreon.com/whiskeyinmyweddingring

There are six (6) spots available at the $25/month bottle share club level. These are the last 6 spots that will ever be opened without a current member retiring - if you've been waiting, now's the time!

If you haven’t yet, please follow Whiskey in my Wedding Ring and the Whiskey Ring Podcast on Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn, and subscribe to the newsletter on the website.

Rock Town Distillery

• Rock Town Distillery Website
• Rock Town Distillery on Instagram
• Rock Town Distillery on Facebook
• Rock Town Distillery on LinkedIn
• Rock Town Distillery on Twitter/X