About Whiskeytown

PRESERVE THE PAST. EXPERIENCE THE PRESENT. CREATE THE FUTURE.

Whiskeytown was born from a simple idea:

Chattanooga's whiskey history deserves a permanent home.

For generations, whiskey was part of the city's economic, cultural and social landscape.

Today, many of the physical reminders of that history are scattered among collectors, families, private archives and historical records.

Whiskeytown seeks to bring those pieces together.

The goal is not simply to display old bottles.

It is to tell the stories behind them.

To preserve the evidence.

To honor the people.

To understand the businesses.

To explore the craft.

And to connect Chattanooga's past with its future.

Our Mission

To preserve, interpret and bring to life the whiskey history of Chattanooga, Tennessee through research, artifacts, storytelling, craftsmanship, hospitality and immersive experiences.

Our Vision

To create a permanent destination where Chattanooga's whiskey heritage can be preserved, experienced, studied and shared for generations to come.

Our Values

  • We believe historical objects and stories deserve careful stewardship.

  • We value original sources, honest research and accurate storytelling.

  • We believe history becomes meaningful when people can experience it.

  • We believe Chattanooga's story belongs to the people who helped create it—and to the people who preserve it today.

  • We respect the skill, patience and tradition behind whiskey.

  • We believe the best stories are often shared around a table.

Meet Our Team

  • Ed Kohl

    CEO • MANAGING DIRECTOR • KEEPER OF THE QUAICH • MUSKETEER

    Ed Kohl is CEO and Managing Director of Keeper’s Quest Inc., doing business as Keeper’s Quest Brands. With more than five decades of experience in wine and Scotch whisky, he has built a career around developing distinctive spirits brands from introduction through distribution and consumer education.

    His work centers on relationships: connecting distillers, distributors, retailers, hospitality partners, and consumers. What began with a single brand grew into a broader specialty-spirits portfolio, shaped by a belief that drinkers still value authenticity, provenance, and a story worth discovering.

    Ed is widely known in the trade for workshops and seminars that explore distillation, tasting, and the details that distinguish one spirit from another. His aim is not simply to place bottles on shelves, but to give retailers and consumers the context needed to understand what is in the glass.

    In 2012, Ed was inducted into the Keepers of the Quaich, which recognizes sustained contributions to Scotch whisky. In 2017, he was inducted into the Order of the Musketeers in France, an organization dedicated to honoring and promoting Armagnac.

  • Lynn Kohl

    PRESIDENT


    Lynn Kohl brings more than 45 years of beverage-industry experience and has been Ed Kohl’s lifelong partner. For more than 25 years, she has played an integral role in the spirits business, serving as a trusted liaison across the company’s relationships.

    Her work has taken her overseas to visit distillers and across the United States for sales, marketing, and direct-to-consumer promotions. She has led numerous on-site tastings and developed a broad, practical understanding of how people discover and experience spirits.

  • Justin Brumbaugh

    PRODUCTION MANAGER


    After a decade in law enforcement, including two years as a detective, Justin Brumbaugh chose to pursue what he viewed as the ultimate passion project. He first joined the company in 2021, working in the rickhouse, and returned in early 2024 as Production Manager.

    Justin now applies the same patient, investigative mindset to whiskey. He studies the clues behind aroma, flavor, maturation, and consistency, then shares what he learns with colleagues and drinkers who want a deeper understanding of the spirit.

  • Leslie Sampson

    HISTORIAN • WRITER • RESEARCHER


    History has always been about more than dates and names for Leslie Sampson.

    It's about finding the human stories behind them.

    As a writer, researcher and historian, Leslie has spent years exploring the connections between people, places, objects and the stories they leave behind.

    Her work with Whiskeytown focuses especially on Chattanooga's whiskey history—researching the distilleries, brands, entrepreneurs, advertisements, bottles, businesses and personal stories that shaped the city's spirits legacy.

    The work is ongoing.

    New documents surface.

    New bottles are discovered.

    Old stories are remembered.

    Connections are made.

    And every discovery brings another piece of Chattanooga's history back into view.

    THE SEARCH CONTINUES.

Contact Whiskeytown