Chattanooga Whiskey has unveiled Bad Chattanoogan, its first Tennessee whiskey following more than a decade of distilling and over 50 experimental releases. The whiskey is believed to be the first of any kind finished using toasted maple wood records, and will debut to the public on Friday 23 October for $64.99 (£49) per 750ml bottle.
The Chattanooga, Tennessee-based distiller produced the expression using 30 records cut from solid sugar maple. Each record was toasted for 24 hours, laser-engraved with two original tribute songs about Chattanooga, and placed inside the barrels with the whiskey for 30 days.
The songs were written by Chattanooga Whiskey creative director and Dollars Family frontman Rich Abercrombie. As the brand explains, “unlike most music-themed whiskeys, the music didn’t just inspire this release – it literally flavored it.”
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READ THE STORYThe theme carries across the entire range. Bad Chattanoogan is being released as two vinyl-inspired blends, Side A and Side B, each finished with its own song.
The two blends are sold separately. However, every bottle comes with a playable four-inch Tiny Vinyl hangtag featuring both tracks.
Beneath the records sits a straight Tennessee whiskey drawn from three high-malt mash bills of primarily Tennessee-grown grain. The liquid was mellowed through sugar maple charcoal, aged for more than four years in oak, and bottled at 100 proof.
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The release marks a notable step for the distillery, which has built its reputation on experimentation rather than traditional Tennessee whiskey. The category is defined by the Lincoln County Process, in which the spirit is filtered through sugar maple charcoal before barreling.
Bad Chattanoogan will make its official debut with an intimate, 75-person listening party at the Chattanooga Whiskey Experimental Distillery on Thursday, 22 October. The whiskey then releases to the public the following day.
Limited quantities will be available on Seelbachs.com and at retailers across Tennessee in the coming weeks.
