Chattanooga, TN (March 2025) – Chattanooga Whiskey has announced the newest release in their  award-winning Experimental Single Batch Series – Batch 043: Pre Prohibition Style. This commemorative offering celebrates a decade of Experimentation at the company’s Experimental Distillery, which in 2015 became Chattanooga’s first legal production distillery since Prohibition. To honor this milestone, the Chattanooga  Whiskey distilling team crafted an “ode” to pre-Prohibition whiskey, designed to simulate the flavors of early 20th  century whiskey. 

“For this Experimental Batch, our goal was to make a high malt whiskey that was evocative of a specific place and time: Chattanooga, Tennessee, pre-Prohibition. To do that, our distillers used every ingredient and process step  to mimic the flavors found in old-world whiskey. Although a lot has changed in the world of farming, malting,  whiskey-making, and coopering over the past 100 years, our team relished the challenge to recreate the flavors of bourbon from that era.” - Grant McCracken, Founding Distiller 

Made from a high malt bourbon mash, this commemorative recipe starts with a unique harder variety of yellow corn – similar to those grown in that time period. Additionally, a blend of multiple slow toasted barleys,  spelt, and rye malts were selected to showcase a wider gradient of flavors inherent to heritage malting techniques – including a heritage-style toasted barley malt and a unique acidulated rye malt. 

After its initial cooking, a portion of the recipe was fermented via a two-part process - designed to express a pronounced fruitiness – common to whiskey made during this time. To accomplish this, the team employed a  unique overnight sour mash coupled with a multi-strain fermentation of bourbon and malt whiskey yeasts, which together replicate the less-controlled, multi-strain yeast cultures used within distilleries of the era.  

After a traditional double pot distillation, the whiskey entered the barrels at an average of 111 proof and was aged for more than four years in a range of custom toasted and charred oak barrels. This wide selection of  cooperage was collectively meant to mimic the fire-driven stave bending process, as well as the variability of  charring during the late 19th/early 20th century.  

Finally, the whiskey was bottled unfiltered at an assertive 110 proof – perhaps one of the highest proofs available  in whiskey prior to the Alcohol Administration Act of 1935. Together, the blend of grains, fermentation methods,  barrel types, and bottling methods offer a glimpse into the world of craft whiskey prior to Prohibition. 

“What began as a project to recreate a whiskey style eventually became the blueprint of a dream whiskey from  another era. If our distilling team had a time machine, we’d go back and make a whiskey like this. Then again,  who says we didn’t? And who says this isn’t that whiskey?” - Grant McCracken, Founding Distiller 

Experimental Batch 043: Pre Prohibition Style will be available at the Chattanooga Whiskey Experimental  Distillery at $69.99 for a 750ml bottle and available online for shipping to select states on Seelbachs.com. Bottled  at 110 proof, expect notes of toasted raisin bread, chocolate chip cookie dough, caramel corn, dark honey, and  fresh plum.  

About Chattanooga Whiskey: 
Starting in 2011, Chattanooga Whiskey challenged the laws and won the right to distill whiskey in Chattanooga for the first time in 100 years. As a result, the Chattanooga Whiskey Experimental Distillery – the only standalone  experimental distillery in the country – was born. The distillery now hosts over 50,000 visitors annually and  serves as a hub of innovation and creativity to push the boundaries of craft whiskey. 

In 2017, the Chattanooga Whiskey Riverfront Distillery opened as the production home of Chattanooga Whiskey’s signature expressions: Chattanooga Whiskey 91, Cask 111, and 99 Rye, as well as their Bottled in Bond Vintage Series, Barrel Finishing Series, and Founder's Anniversary Blend. 

Independently owned and operated, Chattanooga Whiskey is committed to making whiskey that emphasizes  quality, complexity, and authenticity through their one-of-a-kind Tennessee High Malt style. Most recently,  Chattanooga Whiskey was named Icons of Whisky – Craft Producer of the Year (both America and Global) at  Whisky Magazine's 2023 World Whiskies Awards.. 

Chattanooga Whiskey: http://www.chattanoogawhiskey.com 
Experimental Distillery 1439 Market Street, Chattanooga, TN 
Riverfront Distillery 890 Riverfront Parkway, Chattanooga, TN