Corsair - Tennessee’s Ground-Breaking Distillery

A journey that started in a garage took off to become the first craft distillery in Nashville since Prohibition.

For the Love of the Mash

Darek Bell and Andrew Webber started out as just two friends who liked to homebrew beer and wine. That passion for fermentation led to distillation. And eventually, it led to the creation of Corsair Distillery. The route back to Tennessee was a bit more circuitous.

They were unable to distill in their home state of Tennessee. So, in 2008, they opened their first distillery in neighboring Kentucky. By 2010 their lobbying efforts paid off, and Tennessee’s laws changed. This allowed them to open a distillery in Nashville.

The Road from Brewing to Distilling

Along the way, the friends got some serious education.

Darek Bell first dove deep into distilling at the Siebel Institute of Technology out of Chicago. Then, he headed to that bastion of great whisky, Islay, Scotland. There, he studied at the Bruichladdich Distilling Academy. Beyond the study of distillation, Bell has even penned books on whiskey. His first book, Alt Whiskeys was published in 2012. It focuses on using alternative or smoked grains and unusual ingredients from his beer brewing days. His second book, Fire Water, is all about the smoke. It looks at 80 different kinds of wood and fuels, like peat, that can be used to create unique flavor profiles.

Andrew Webber’s journey went in a different direction. He started out in biology and anthropology and finished with an MBA from Vanderbilt University. His experience working for startups played a crucial role in the success of Corsair. On the distillation side, Webber’s passion is “unusual ingredients in traditional distillations that yield novel, big, aggressive flavors.”

Another key player is co-owner and brand ambassadress Amy Lee Bell. Her background is in marketing and writing. “Booze for Badasses” is the message behind her branding efforts for Corsair.

In 2016 Lorna Conrad came on as an assistant distiller with a background in homebrewing. She was named Head Distiller in 2020, just in time to focus on making hand sanitizer. (In her interview with Whiskey Culture, she says that she never wants to make it again.) 

Previous Head Distiller, Colton Weinstein, is now the CEO of Liba Spirits and a self-confessed gypsy distiller. He continues to consult for Corsair and support Lorna. He has also consulted for one of the other distilleries we’ve reviewed, Dread River in Alabama.

Distillery

Corsair has a diverse list of stills, from their custom 800-gallon pot still, to two condensing stills and a gin still. They have everything you need to produce a line of whiskies, ryes, gins, vodkas, and other spirits. The real difference between them and other craft distillers is their malthouse and smokehouse. That’s where they malt and smoke the grains used in their spirits. The grains come from local farms, including their own Bell Farm.

In 2016 they expanded their operations to a 117,000 sq. ft. facility. This allows them to store an amazing 60,000 barrels on-site and produce up to 70 barrels a day.

The Spirits

Corsair is always going against the grain or trying something novel, especially with their whiskies. Malt whiskey is better known in Scotland than in the U.S. And Corsair is one of a small group of U.S. craft distillers bringing it back into fashion.

Corsair Dark Rye - American Rye Malt Whiskey - 85 Proof

Their most awarded spirit, Corsair Dark Rye, has been winning major awards since 2014. Most recently, they received a Double Gold at the 2021 San Francisco World Spirits Competition.

Their Dark Rye is pot-distilled and bottled at 85 proof. It’s made from a mash bill of 61 percent malted rye, 4 percent malted chocolate rye, and 35 percent malted barley. All that malting makes for, in their words, “Exceptionally smooth rye whiskey with chocolate, coffee, and spice instead of green notes common in most ryes.”

The Whiskey Wash agrees. “As far as rye whiskeys go, this is definitely smoother rye than most I have had. The spice level seems more intense than most as well. I love the finishing chocolate flavor.”

(Photo Credits to Corsair Distillery Instagram Account)

Interested in learning more about the rye revival in the U.S.? Check out our Ultimate Guide to Rye.

Corsair Gins: A Flavor-Packed Journey

Their gin expression has gone through multiple stages. Some are still available on the market but not on their website. This includes the Corsair Gin Gin-Head Style American with its hints of lemongrass, a Genever Gin filled with orange and spiced bread flavors, and a Steampunk Pot Distilled American Gin, which was described as “damned odd and very complex” by Spirits Review.

The current offerings on their website include:

Corsair American Gin - 88 Proof

This is a pot-distilled gin that then uses the vapor basket method of extraction, which tends to create smoother, more intense flavors.

Corsair’s tasting notes state it is a gin with a “Balanced blend of citrus, juniper, cardamom and cucumber on the nose. Cucumber peel and Far East spices coming through on the palate with a hint of mint at the back. Finishes with a crisp, light but long citrus and spice.”

Corsair Barreled Gin - 92 proof

Their Barreled Gin is aged in spiced rum barrels, which bring fall spices, wood, and vanilla into play. It’s a more classic gin than their American Gin in many ways. “Its forward nose evolves into a spice medley of cinnamon, clove, and coriander. Anise, black licorice, clove hit the palate initially but give way to vanilla and rum notes before a clean, dry finish.”

Corsair Triple Smoked - A New Iconic American Single Malt Whiskey

The jewel in Corsair’s crown, their Triple Smoked Single Malt Whiskey, is unlike anything else on the market. It mixes the sweetness of American whiskey styles with the smokiness of an island single malt Scotch. Like its rye sibling, it has been winning awards since 2014, with its latest Gold coming from the San Francisco World Spirits Competition in 2021.

To be sold as a single malt, Triple Smoked must be made from 100 percent malted barley, mashed, distilled, and matured in oak casks at one distillery. Cask strength cannot exceed 160 proof, and it must be bottled at 80 proof or higher.

Triple Smoked is pot distilled and made from malt smoked in Corsair's own smokehouse. They smoke their barley with two different woods - Wisconsin Cherrywood and German Beechwood. In addition, they use peat from Scotland. The whiskey is then aged, like bourbon, in new American charred oak barrels.

The Whiskey Wash is a fan and considers Triple Smoked “a very lovely whiskey. I love the smokiness from the three smoked woods. The sweetness and aftertaste very much remind me of the lovely smoked beef roasts I have cooked recently. It definitely leaves me with that same sweet and smokey aftertaste.”

(Photo Credits to Corsair Distillery Instagram Account)

Final Notes

Always a distillery to watch, Corsair is sure to produce more small-batch unique offerings in the future. But it’ll continue to produce its award-winning standards, too.

Have a favorite Corsair spirit or a story from a visit to their distillery? Please share your thoughts with us in our comment section.

~ Cheers!