Chattanooga's first distillery since Prohibition is celebrating a decade of experimentation with the release of Experimental Batch 043: Pre Prohibition Style.
This commemorative bourbon recreates the flavors of a bygone era through every step of the process. Made from a multigrain mash of heritage-styled malts, each grain was selected to simulate the flavors of old-world farming and malting before being cooked and fermented with a unique, two-part sour mash/fermentation process.
After double pot distillation, the whiskey was aged for more than four years in a range of custom toasted and charred oak barrels, meant to mimic the cooper's craft prior to Prohibition. Bottled without filtration, this grain-to-glass whiskey fully embodies their whiskey-making mantra: "Rules Are Good, Change Them."
Their goal was to make a high malt whiskey that was evocative of a specific place and time: Chattanooga in the pre-1920s. To do that, 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, the Chattanoogs Whiskey team relished the challenge to recreate the flavors of bourbon from that era.
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 develop this character, their 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 4 years in a range of custom toasted and charred oak barrels. This wide selection of cooperage was collectively meant to mimic the variation of the toasting and charring process during the late 19th/early 20th century – and the complexity of flavors which result from those methods.
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.
Batch 043 Quick Facts
- Mash Bill: Yellow Corn, Pils Malted Barley, Heritage Malted Barley, Malted Spelt, Malted Rye, Acidulated Malted Rye
- Fermentation: Kettle Sour + Yeast Blend
- Age: Greater Than 4 Years
- Proof: 110 (55% Alc/Vol)
- Cooperage: Custom Toasted & Charred Oak, 53 Gal(2 Custom Toasts + #1-4 Char)
- Batch Size: 8 Barrels
- Style: Straight Bourbon Whiskey
- Tasting Notes: Toasted raisin bread, chocolate chip cookie dough, caramel corn, dark honey, and fresh plum
Experimental Batch 043: Pre Prohibition Style will be available exclusively at the Chattanooga Whiskey Experimental Distillery on Thursday, March 13th, for $69.99.
Chattanooga Whiskey 91, Chattanooga Whiskey Cask 111, and other select releases are available for delivery on Seelbachs.com and ReserveBar.com*.
*Shipping limited by state law. Seelbachs and ReserveBar are third-party spirits retailers. For order information, please contact support@seelbachs.com or visit ReserveBar's Help Center.