Chattanooga Whiskey Unveiled: The Tennessee Trailblazer You’ll Wish You’d Tasted Sooner

Chattanooga Whiskey: The Tennessee High Malt You Can’t Ignore

Chattanooga Whiskey isn’t just a bottle on the shelf, it’s a Tennessee revolution. Born from grit, curiosity, and a fight against century-old laws. If you haven’t dug into its story or sipped its exceptional Tennessee High Malt, you’re missing whiskey’s boldest comeback. Here’s the unfiltered truth about Chattanooga Whiskey’s rise, delivered straight from Founding Distiller & Chief Product Officer Grant McCracken, shining a spotlight on their star product and three killer recipes that’ll elevate your whiskey game in 2025.

How Chattanooga Whiskey Got Started, From Beer to Boundary-Pushing

Chattanooga Whiskey’s journey kicked off with a brewer’s curiosity and a legal battle, but let’s rewind to Grant McCracken’s spark. “When I worked in the brewing industry, we worked on a number of very high alcohol (20-25%), naturally fermented barrel aged beers.” McCracken recalls. That gig taught him yeast’s secrets, how to coax high ABV from fermentation. Which then nudged him toward distilling. “At those high ABVs, your flavor goals - and techniques to reach them - are pretty much the opposite of what every other beer style calls for, and naturally bump into distilling principles.” he says, sparking his interest in whiskey-making.

So what tipped him from brewing into whiskey? A brewing non-compete that he wouldn’t let hold him back. “Rather than just complain, I took my curiosity to the library,” McCracken explains. He nabbed a distilling certification from the Institute of Brewing and Distilling (IBD), allowing him to hedge against uncertainty. Two weeks later, fate dialed in—a call from Brian Sprance, ex-colleague turned Head Distiller at New Riff, linked him to Chattanooga Whiskey’s founders, who needed their first Head Distiller in 2014. “I said yes,” McCracken recalls, “and I never looked back.”

Why Chattanooga? It’s a city with whiskey roots that was shuttered by Tennessee’s 1909 Prohibition, a decade before the national ban. Founders Tim Piersant and Joe Ledbetter launched the “Vote Whiskey” campaign in 2012, overturning Hamilton County’s distilling ban by 2013. In 2015, the Experimental Distillery opened, which marked Chattanooga’s first legal whiskey maker in over a century. That’s not just a start—it’s a resurrection.

That First Drop of Chattanooga Whiskey, A Disaster Turned Lesson

McCracken’s first stab at whiskey-making for Chattanooga Whiskey wasn’t the glorious debut you’d expect, it was a full-on fiasco that still haunts him with a grin. “In the early days at the Experimental Distillery, we were trying to keep things frugal,” he admits, setting the stage for the mishap. With a mash tun rigged to stir via a circulation pump instead of a proper mixer, he dove into day one, mashing raw grains with high hopes...until the pump’s drive gave out. “I couldn’t fully cook the mash,” he recalls, left scrambling to salvage it. He cranked up the steam to keep it warm overnight, hoping it’d hold, but without stirring, the center of the unstirred mash didn’t get high enough in temperature to pasteurize some of the off-flavor-producing bacteria native to the grain. “The next morning, we walked in, and it smelled absolutely awful,” he recalls, the foul memory still sharp in his mind. They had no choice but to dump the batch, a bitter pill made worse when local news rolled in to cover Chattanooga’s first distillery in a century. “I was ashamed like I’d committed a crime,” McCracken confesses.

The takeaway? “We learned about backup equipment and earning wins through adversity,” McCracken reflects. That flop shaped their grit—nothing’s guaranteed, but every failure fuels a better pour.

Chattanooga Whiskey 91, The Product That Defines Pride

When asked what he’s proudest of,  McCracken doesn’t hesitate to say: “Chattanooga Whiskey 91—from story to flavor, it has it all.” This Tennessee High Malt bourbon isn’t just a drink; it’s a saga. “From 2015-2017, it took us two years to develop our high malt style, testing over 100 recipes,” he says. As the Riverfront Distillery loomed in 2017, the team ranked dozens of Experimental samples. “Barrel 91 was pretty much unanimous—it was that good,” McCracken beams. By 2019, it became their flagship alongside Cask 111.

What sets Chattanooga Whiskey 91 apart? “We didn’t lean on a familiar recipe—instead, we blazed our own trail,” McCracken insists with pride. This bourbon is crafted from 4 grains—including 3 select specialty malts which bring a unique richness to the table. It’s fermented long and slow to deepen its character, distilled at low proofs to capture every nuance, and barreled at varied entries—ranging from 113 to 117 proof—in custom toasted and charred oak barrels designed to amplify complexity. A final flourish comes from a solera finish in a massive charred vat, infusing fruity depth that ties it all together. “Every decision was the right one—not because we knew exactly what to do at every step, but because we listen to what the whiskey tells us,” McCracken explains, emphasizing their grain-to-glass philosophy. Priced at $30-$35, it embodies their “whiskey to the people” ethos—a mid-range gem delivering a masterpiece from mash to sip.

Chattanooga Whiskey Recipes to Sip in 2025

Chattanooga Whiskey’s flagships—91, Cask 111, and 99 Rye—shine neat or in cocktails. Here are three recipes with these exceptional picks straight from the source:

Tennessee High Ball with Chattanooga Whiskey 91

• Ingredients: 1.5 oz Chattanooga Whiskey 91, Ginger Ale, Soda Water, Dash of Bitter (Ginger Citrus Bitters Preferred), Lemon Wedge
• Method: Add 91 to a highball glass, add ice, fill the glass halfway with ginger ale then the other half with soda water, add a dash of bitters, and garnish with lemon wedge

Chatt Apple with Chattanooga Whiskey Cask 111

• Ingredients: 2 oz Cask 111, .5 oz Cinnamon Syrup, .5oz Apple Juice, .25 Lemon Juice, 1 dash Angostura Bitters, Cinnamon Stick
• Method: Add all ingredients to a cocktail shaker, add ice, and shake! Fine strain over a large cube and garnish with cinnamon stick

The Vermonter with Chattanooga Whiskey 99 Rye

• Ingredients: 2 oz 99 Rye, .5 oz Maple Syrup, 1 dash Black Walnut Bitters, Orange Peel
• Method: Add all ingredients to a mixing glass, add ice, and stir. Strain into a rocks glass over a large cube and garnish with an orange peel

Why Chattanooga Whiskey Rules In 2025

Chattanooga Whiskey Isn't just riding Tennessee’s whiskey wave, it’s redefining it. From the “Vote Whiskey” win to McCracken’s brewing roots, it’s a story of guts and grain. The 91’s high malt mastery, born from 100+ trials, hits every note—sweet, complex, affordable. “It’s damn-near impossible to beat for the price,” McCracken says, and he’s right. In 2025, as craft whiskey booms, Chattanooga’s Experimental and Riverfront distilleries keep pushing, just look at the Pre-Prohibition Batch 043 ($69.99) or Bottled in Bond vintages. Sip it neat or mix it—these are pours with a past and a punch. Ready to taste Tennessee’s comeback king?

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