Chattanooga Whiskey has unveiled The Confluence Project: Volume 2, the second installment of its collaboration with Kentucky’s New Riff Distilling. The release comprises 12 cask-strength single barrels of Tennessee Straight Wheat Whiskey aged for seven years and six months, with the first barrels available from the Chattanooga Whiskey Experimental Distillery on Thursday, November 5, 2026.
The Confluence Project launched last fall on a single premise: both distilleries agreed on one mash bill, then produced the whiskey independently.
Volume 2 draws on the same distillation runs as Volume 1, now carrying an additional year in the barrel. The latest expression forms part of New Riff’s Experimental Single Barrel Series.
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READ THE STORY“Volume 1 was all about seeing how each of our distilleries approached the same whiskey. Volume 2 is about what an extra year does to them,” said Grant McCracken, founding distiller at Chattanooga Whiskey.
This year, each distillery is presenting its share of the whiskey differently. New Riff is releasing its Volume 2 as a mix pack, while Chattanooga Whiskey continues the rolling, barrel-by-barrel format it introduced last year.
The agreed mash bill features 60% Red Turkey Wheat, 24% Appalachian Malted Wheat from Riverbend Malt House, 8% Dark Malted Wheat, and 8% Caramel Malted Wheat.
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Chattanooga Whiskey fermented the mash for seven days under temperature control. The team distilled it to 132 proof and filled it into a range of toasted and charred casks at entry proofs of 110, 115, and 120.
No two barrels were built the same way. Some feature staves seasoned outdoors for 18 months, others carry the distillery’s custom toast, and char levels range from a light #1 to a heavy #4.
Every barrel was bottled unfiltered at cask strength.
According to the official notes from the brand, flavor profiles range from custard-filled donut, crème brûlée, and caramel shortbread to cherry tart, candied walnut, and gingerbread, with a long, malty-sweet finish.
“Once you’ve locked in the mash bill and the distillation, the barrel becomes the most interesting variable left,” McCracken said. “Spreading this whiskey across different entry proofs and cask types lets people taste how much those choices matter, even with a spirit that started out exactly the same.”
The first single barrels are priced at $69.99 (£53) per 750ml bottle. As each barrel sells out, the next will take its place until all 12 are gone.
The distillery, based in Chattanooga, Tennessee, encourages drinkers to taste the Chattanooga and New Riff expressions side by side.
