WELCOME TO WHISKEYTOWN
Where Chattanooga’s Whiskey History
Comes to Life.
A museum. A working distillery. A living archive. A tasting room. A gathering place.
Whiskeytown is a destination dedicated to the people, places, bottles, brands, businesses and stories that shaped Chattanooga's remarkable whiskey legacy.
ONE DESTINATION. MORE THAN 150 YEARS OF STORIES.
Chattanooga Was a Whiskey City.
Chattanooga Daily Times, June 23, 1898
For generations, whiskey was woven into the fabric of Chattanooga.
It moved along the Tennessee River. It traveled the railroads. It built businesses, created livelihoods, and connected Chattanooga to the South—and to the wider world.
Then Prohibition changed everything.
The distilleries disappeared.
The bottles became collectibles.
The advertisements became artifacts.
The stories became harder to find.
But they never completely disappeared.
Whiskeytown exists to bring those stories home.
More Than a Museum.
WE CALL IT A MUSILLERY.
Part museum.
Part working distillery.
Part archive.
Part tasting room.
Part restaurant.
Part gathering place.
And entirely Chattanooga.
At Whiskeytown, history isn't meant to sit quietly behind glass.
You can see it.
Hear it.
Taste it.
Explore it.
And watch the craft that created it come alive.
One Destination.
Six Connected Experiences.
Whiskeytown brings the story together in one immersive experience—from the first artifact to the final tasting, dinner, event or bottle taken home.
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MUSEUM GALLERIES
Step Into the Story.
Explore historic bottles, labels, advertisements, photographs, documents, equipment and personal stories that reveal Chattanooga's whiskey past.
The objects are real. The stories are personal. The history is alive.
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A WORKING DISTILLERY
Watch History Become Whiskey.
See the craft of distillation brought to life through traditional techniques, working equipment and hands-on demonstrations.
The history of whiskey isn't just something we remember. It's something we make.
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GUIDED & DIGITAL TOURS
Follow the Story.
Walk through Chattanooga's whiskey history with an expert guide—or explore at your own pace through digital storytelling, archival material, audio and interactive experiences.
Every bottle has a story. Every story leads somewhere.
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TASTING & DINING
Experience whiskey alongside Southern hospitality, regional flavor, thoughtful food and the brands that carry Chattanooga's spirits tradition forward.
Come for the history. Stay for the hospitality.
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EVENTS & GATHERINGS
History Has a Social Life.
Whiskey dinners. Educational programs. Tastings. Workshops. Private celebrations. Corporate gatherings. Special events.
Whiskeytown is a place to learn, gather, celebrate and make new memories.
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THE RICKHOUSE
Where Time Does the Work.
Discover the barrels, bottles, production and operations behind the spirits—and see how time, craft and patience transform whiskey.
Some stories take years to become what they were meant to be.
The Whiskey City
A Story That Began More Than a Century Ago.
Chattanooga's whiskey story is a story of ambition, immigration, craftsmanship, transportation, commerce and Southern enterprise.
From the people who founded distilleries to the merchants who moved spirits across the country, the whiskey trade helped shape the city.
Then an era came to an end.
And what followed became part of the story, too.
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The Chattanooga whiskey story enters a new chapter.
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Another important spirits enterprise begins to take shape.
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Chattanooga stands among the important centers of the American spirits trade.
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Prohibition transforms the American whiskey industry.
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Historic brands, bottles, documents and stories are being rediscovered and preserved.
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A permanent home for Chattanooga's whiskey story.
FROM THE ARCHIVE
Every Artifact Has a Story.
A bottle.
A faded advertisement.
A handwritten ledger.
A photograph.
A piece of equipment.
A family memory.
Each one is a clue to a larger story.
Whiskeytown is building an archive dedicated to finding, documenting, preserving and sharing the pieces of Chattanooga's whiskey past that still survive.
FEATURED ARTIFACT
WHAT KIND OF STORY DOES AN ITEM TELL?
Our current featured artifact is an advertisement for Deep Spring Whiskey from 1904. It is significant because it was part of the program for the spring festival; which J.W. Kelly attended and operated a booth.
Discover the People Behind the Bottles.
The history of whiskey isn't only about what was made.
It's about who made it.
Who sold it.
Who drank it.
Who transported it.
Who advertised it.
Who lost it.
And who remembered it.
WHISKEYTOWN STORIES
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Meet the distillers, merchants, entrepreneurs and families behind the story.
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Discover the distilleries, warehouses, businesses and neighborhoods that shaped Chattanooga's whiskey trade.
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Explore the brands, labels and bottles that survived.
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Uncover the moments that changed Chattanooga's whiskey history.
HELP US PRESERVE THE STORY
Do You Have a Piece of Chattanooga's Whiskey History?
Maybe it's a bottle in your collection.
A photograph in an old family album.
A sign in a garage.
A newspaper clipping.
A ledger.
A letter.
A story your grandparents told you.
We want to hear about it.
Lend it. Donate it. Document it. Help us find it.
Every artifact adds another piece to the picture—and every piece helps ensure that Chattanooga's whiskey history isn't forgotten again.
Meet the Historian
Someone Has to Keep Looking.
Whiskeytown's historical work is driven by a simple belief:
The stories that survive deserve to be found, documented and shared.
Historian and writer Leslie Sampson is dedicated to researching Chattanooga's whiskey history and uncovering the people, places and stories behind the bottles.
From historic advertisements and labels to forgotten businesses and family stories, the search continues.
Because history isn't finished just because the people who lived it are gone.
Become a Founding Member
Help Give Chattanooga’s Whiskey Story a Permanent Home.
Whiskeytown is being built one story, one artifact, one partnership and one supporter at a time.
Your support can help preserve historic materials, develop exhibits, build the visitor experience and bring a permanent home for Chattanooga's whiskey history closer to reality.
YOU DON'T HAVE TO WAIT FOR THE DOORS TO OPEN TO BECOME PART OF THE STORY.
Become a Founder today.