Chattanooga Whiskey Tennessee Cask 111 Review

Picture courtesy of Chattanooga Whiskey

I’m maybe showing my age but the first thing that comes to mind when I here the word Chattanooga is the Glenn Miller song Chattanooga Choo Choo….it’s weird the things that stick in your head. 

Apart from also being the home of the first Coca Cola bottling company founded in 1899 with exclusive rights to bottle the drink throughout most of the US, Chattanooga was a distilling hub in the late 1800’s with over 30 distilleries. However, that changed in 1909 when Tennessee introduced it’s own prohibition, a full 10 years before the national prohibition. By 1915 all Chattanooga’s distilleries are closed.

Between 1937 and 2009 Tennessee had repealed in state prohibition, but only for 3 counties – Lincoln, Moore and Coffee. After the economic storm of 2008, Tennessee law makers vote to allow spirit production in a further 41 counties, with the exception of Hamilton County where Chattanooga is situated.

Step in Tim Piersant and Joe Ledbetter who form Chattanooga Whiskey Co. in Nov 2011 and lobby for a change in the law which is finally successful in May 2013. By Sept 2014 they begin construction of their first distillery in downtown Chattanooga and release their first unaged whiskey in Nov 2015, the first whiskey produced in Chattanooga for over 100 years and by 2019 they released the 91 proof and Cask 111 signature expressions.

Chattanooga Whiskey Tennessee High Malt Straight Bourbon Whiskey Cask 111

111 proof / 55.5% $40 / £29 / €34

Mash Bill: 75% Yellow Corn, 25% a combination of malted rye, caramel & honey malted barley with a 7 day fermentation

Batches: 6 – 10 barrels represent a single batch and distillation run, 53 gallon toasted & charred barrels, entry proof 113, 115, or 117 

Nose: Spicy rye notes straight away – cloce, cinnamon, lemon zest along with stewed pears. Caramel, some hubba bubba gum, vanilla custard and cherry cola. A touch of ethanol but nothing off putting. Almond brittle too.

Water brings out wood sap, fried sage and spent coffee grounds

Palate: A nice texture – immediately spicy and it’s the rye that is at the fore. String clove, cinnamon hots and a wasabi like heat. Behind the spice sits caramel and brown sugar, toasted coconut and that cherry cola again. Some new leather and toasted oak.

Water highlights dark chocolate, kirsch and some garden mint.

Finish: Medium in length with the spices dominating – wasabi heat, clove and freshly grated ginger

Score: 6 out of 10

Overall: A well made and solid bourbon but there isn’t really much malt detectable, rather it’s the rye that steals the show, which is fortunate as I love a good rye whiskey. 

If you’d like to support my site and continued whiskey exploration there’s a ‘buy me a coffee’ link on the homepage menu bar. Thanks for reading and please check out my YouTube Channel too!