Chattanooga Whiskey is Tennessee's most decorated craft distillery — and one of the most technically ambitious in the country. Founded in 2011 by Tim Piersant, the company didn't just open a distillery. They changed the law to do it. After discovering that Prohibition-era restrictions still banned distilling in Hamilton County, Piersant and his team spent two years lobbying the Tennessee legislature, ultimately passing House Bill 102 in 2013 and opening the floodgates for distilling across the majority of the state's 95 counties. In 2015, they became the first distillery to craft whiskey in Chattanooga in over 100 years.
Their calling card is the Tennessee High Malt — a style of their own invention built on a four-grain mash bill loaded with specialty malted grains: malted rye, caramel malted barley, and honey malted barley, fermented over an extended seven-day process to coax out rich, fruity complexity before a low-proof distillation run on a custom 30-foot column still. The result is a malt-forward, distinctly un-cookie-cutter bourbon that sits in a category largely of its own making.
The Bottled in Bond Vintage Series takes that philosophy further — single-season releases, 100 proof, vintage-dated, each blending multiple experimental mash bills developed at their downtown Experimental Distillery before being scaled up at their Riverfront production house.
This kit is a deliberate scouting mission. Later this year, Prime Barrel will select a single barrel from Chattanooga Whiskey. This tasting is how we get there — six bottles, six expressions, one conversation about what makes each one tick.
What's in the Kit
Chattanooga Whiskey 91 | 91 Proof The flagship. Four grains, three specialty malts — selected by Head Distiller Grant McCracken as Barrel #91 from the first 100 experimental runs. Aged in toasted and charred oak, then finished in a 4,000-gallon charred oak solera barrel, which adds consistency and a depth that belies its age. Notes of butterscotch pudding, dried apricot, honeyed toast, and pound cake. Medium-bodied with a lingering, malty-sweet finish.
Chattanooga Cask 111 | 111 Proof The unfiltered, barrel-strength expression of the same signature mash bill — hand-selected in 6–10 barrel lots for more intense cask character. No filtration; each bottle occasionally carries a trace of barrel sediment. Where the 91 is approachable, the 111 is a full-contact encounter with the wood. Notes of chocolate-covered cherry, toasted coconut, and cinnamon. Full-bodied with a warming, malty finish.
Chattanooga Rye 99 | 99 Proof Tennessee Rye Malt — Chattanooga's malt-forward answer to the category. Built from pale malted rye, yellow corn, caramel malted rye, and chocolate malted rye, unfiltered and full of character. Where most ryes lean into sharp cereal spice, this one goes somewhere richer and more layered. Notes of fruit cake, cola spice, sage, and toasted rye. Full-bodied with a malty-sweet and spicy finish.
Chattanooga BiB Fall 2021 | 100 Proof A single-season vintage barreled July through December 2020. This release introduced mash bill SB101 — named after the 101st barrel filled at the Experimental Distillery — a five-grain recipe featuring two varieties of drum-roasted caramel malted barley. Blended across four batches, each 10 barrels. Notes of oatmeal raisin cookie, root beer, chocolate malt, pecan pie, and sweet hay. Full-bodied and approachable.
Chattanooga BiB Spring 2022 | 100 Proof A single-season vintage barreled January through June 2021. The Spring 2021 release introduced mash bill SB078, which brings chocolate malt and sweet smoke in a way that's more delicate than it sounds — lighter in body than prior vintages, with the chocolate note riding through from front to finish. Notes of butterscotch candy, cream soda, fresh plum, and lemon curd.
The Prime Barrel Upcoming Single Barrel Pick | TBD An exclusive preview pour — the barrel we're actively considering for the Prime Barrel selection. You'll taste it alongside the lineup and weigh in on whether it's the one. Your call matters.
Why This Kit Matters
Chattanooga doesn't make one style of whiskey. They make a signature solera-finished flagship, an unfiltered barrel-strength sibling, a malt-forward rye built on a category-defying recipe, and a rotating BiB vintage series that evolves with every distilling season. The range in this kit isn't a sampler — it's the full argument for why this distillery is worth a Prime Barrel pick.
Kit Contents:
1 × 1.5 oz Chattanooga Whiskey 91
1 × 1.5 oz Chattanooga Cask 111
1 × 1.5 oz Chattanooga Rye 99
1 × 1.5 oz Chattanooga BiB Fall 2020
1 × 1.5 oz Chattanooga BiB Spring 2021
1 × 1.5 oz Prime Barrel Single Barrel Preview
🥃 Live Virtual Tasting with Tim Piersant (Founder & CEO) July 22, 2026 8 PM ET / 5 PM PT
RSVP details provided after purchase Join the conversation and share tasting notes inside The Prime Barrel Discord.
