Chattanooga Whiskey today announced its latest offering, the Founder’s 12th Anniversary Blend. Curated annually by Founder Tim Piersant, this special edition whiskey pays homage to Chattanooga Whiskey’s past, present, and future. Scheduled for release at the Chattanooga Whiskey Experimental Distillery on April 26, 2024, following a launch celebration at a ticketed event the night before, this commemorative blend will be available for purchase both in-store and online at Seelbachs.com in May.
Chattanooga Whiskey – led by Piersant’s vision to become the best craft whiskey in Tennessee – has become well known for its trailblazing spirit, inventive style, and prolific range of whiskey expressions. Starting in 2011, Piersant and team challenged the laws and won the right to distill whiskey in Chattanooga for the first time in 100 years. Today, the Chattanooga Whiskey Experimental Distillery is the only standalone experimental distillery in the country – still driving the company’s commitment to experimentation and pushing the boundaries of craft whiskey. The release of the Founder’s Blend serves as a testament to this journey and the distillery’s ongoing commitment to quality, complexity, and authenticity.
“Our annual Founder’s release began as a passion project for myself and our amazing team of talented distillers to commemorate and reflect on where we started, where we are now, and where we are going,” said Piersant. “The 12th Anniversary Blend leans most heavily on our solid foundation of Barrel 91 (the present), with a moderately heavy influence of Infinity (the future), and a lighter influence of 1816 (the past). I believe these percentages appropriately represent how we are inspired by our past, present, and future.”
About the Blend – Whiskeys of The Past, Present, and Future
Chattanooga Whiskey’s Riverfront Distillery is home to their one-of-a-kind Solera Room, which completed installation shortly before the company’s 10th anniversary. Built to symbolize Chattanooga Whiskey’s past, present, and future, this room enshrines three custom charred oak solera barrels – each of which contain whiskeys of vastly different styles and wide-ranging origin stories. Each year to commemorate their anniversary, Piersant evaluates the whiskey within each solera barrel, trialing various blends to highlight the best of each recipe. After each year’s blend is complete, the distilling team refills each tank with newly mature barrels, where they will quietly marry until the following year. This version of the time-honored solera blending process allows the Founder’s Blend to evolve from year-to-year, and gives each release its own unique flavor profile, and – due to the complex solera blending process – can never be replicated again.
This year’s blend is comprised of:
- 1816 (12%): Representing the company’s storied “Past,” 1816 is the smallest of the company’s three solera barrels, and holds their original founding recipe, originally launched in 2012. Now a relic of the Chattanooga Whiskey story, 1816 was Chattanooga’s first whiskey since Prohibition, and worked alongside the company’s Vote Whiskey campaign to help change century-old prohibition laws for dozens of counties across Tennessee. Aged between four and six years, this traditional high rye bourbon contributes a classic woody, lightly spicy bourbon character to the blend.
- Barrel 91 (60%): Signifying the company’s “Present,” the largest of the three solera barrels is filled with Chattanooga Whiskey’s signature Tennessee High Malt recipe: “Barrel 91.” Born from their Experimental Distillery’s 91st barrel created, this recipe was developed over two years of experimentation and is built on a foundation of three specialty roasted and toasted malted grains. Pulling richness and depth from every step of the process, this solera component brings a classic high malt depth and complexity to the blend.
- Infinity Barrel (28%): Symbolizing the company’s “Future,” the ornately designed Infinity solera barrel is filled with an innovative blend of malt and rye malt whiskeys from both their Experimental and Riverfront Distilleries. This year’s blend welcomes six new mash bills to the barrel, including the subtle addition of a cherrywood smoked “Danko” rye malt whiskey. Aged between three and seven years, this evolving blend of innovative recipes brings a dynamic array of dark fruit and spice flavors to the final whiskey.
“Tasted on their own, the whiskey from each solera barrel is wildly different from the other,” said Grant McCracken, Founding Distiller and CPO. “From the traditional essence of ‘1816,’ to the high-malt heritage of ’91,’ to the expressive and ever-changing ‘Infinity,’ each barrel not only showcases the range of styles inherent to whiskey making, but also provides a range of options for blending.”
Founder’s Anniversary Blend is a recurring release and changes every year to highlight each solera’s ever-evolving impact to the final blend. This year’s release boasts notes of blackberry cobbler, candied ginger, cream soda, red velvet cake, and oatmeal raisin cookie.
Availability: Founder’s 12th Anniversary Blend will be available at the Chattanooga Whiskey Experimental Distillery on April 26, 2024, and on shelves in select states (AL, FL, GA, IL, IN, KY, LA, SC, TN, TX, and WI) in the following weeks at $59.99 for a 750ml bottleVisit http://www.chattanoogawhiskey.com for more information
