Corsair Artisan Distillery is a small-batch distilling company that operates in Nashville, Tennessee, US. It was originally founded in Bowling Green, Kentucky, in January 2008. The distillery is owned and operated by Derek Bell and Andrew Webber, who are both distillers and natives of Nashville. Corsair Artisan Distillery is known for its production of innovative spirits, which include buckwheat whiskey, quinoa whiskey, malted and smoked whiskies, multi-grain bourbons, barrel-aged gin, red absinthe, naturally flavored vodka, and spiced rum.

History Childhood friends Webber and Bell began their journey into homebrewing beer and wine in Bell's garage. They initially encountered challenges while working on a biodiesel plant prototype, which led Webber to propose focusing on whiskey production instead. The distillery officially commenced operations in Bowling Green, Kentucky, in 2008. Due to their strong connection to Tennessee, the owners established a second location in Nashville in 2010, making Corsair the first legal craft distillery in Nashville since Prohibition. Embracing the ethos of "Innovate or Die," Corsair has ventured into creating numerous experimental products, incorporating unconventional grains such as quinoa, spelt, triticale, and buckwheat, along with various hop variations. Notably, their quinoa whiskey gained recognition and was featured on the 393rd episode of the cooking show, Chopped.List of Chopped episodes

Corsair expanded further by opening a third location in the Wedgewood/Houston neighborhood of Nashville in 2016. This move allowed them to increase production capacity and utilize the WeHo site for additional office space and barrel storage, effectively designating it as their headquarters. The Bowling Green distillery was subsequently closed on August 31, 2018, as Corsair focused on expanding its two Nashville locations and achieving national distribution.

In March 2020, Corsair undertook a rebranding initiative to facilitate wider distribution and streamline its product line, resulting in changes to spirit names and proofs. Additionally, during the COVID-19 pandemic, the distillery garnered attention for producing hand sanitizer, which was donated to healthcare facilities in substantial quantities.

Corsair is committed to encapsulating the essence of Nashville by utilizing resources from Bell's local farm, including their own malthouse and smokehouse. They offer tours at their Nashville locations to showcase their craft spirits and local craft beers.

List of spirits As of 2018, Corsair had manufactured a total of 28 distinct types of spirits. Presently, the availability of these spirits may vary, with 11 typically offered for sale. Additionally, there are six varieties classified as seasonal or experimental, while 11 have been discontinued. +Corsair Spirit LineupArtisan GinCurrentRed AbsintheCurrentVanilla Bean VodkaCurrentSpiced RumCurrentTriple Smoke Malt WhiskeyCurrentQuinoa WhiskeyDiscontinuedRyemageddon/Dark RyeCurrentOatrage Oat WhiskeyDiscontinuedBarrel Aged GinCurrentWildfire Malt WhiskeyCurrentGeneverDiscontinuedBuck Yeah Buckwheat WhiskeyDiscontinuedCitra Double IPACurrentNashville BourbonDiscontinuedPumpkin Spice MoonshineCurrentGrainiac BourbonDiscontinuedGreen Malt WhiskeyDiscontinuedWry MoonDiscontinued100% RyeDiscontinuedSteampunkDiscontinuedCherrywood SmokedDiscontinuedElderflower BohemianDiscontinuedHopmonsterDiscontinuedInsane in the GrainDiscontinuedOat Smoked Wheat WhiskeyDiscontinuedOatmeal StoutDiscontinuedTriticale WhiskeyDiscontinuedGalaxyDiscontinued

Awards In 2018, the company reported that its spirits had received over 800 medals at national and international spirits competitions. +All-Around Awards2017 Berlin International Spirits CompetitionAmerican Whiskey Distillery of the Year2017 Wizards of WhiskyWorld Distiller of the YearU.S. Craft Distiller of the Year2014 Wizards of WhiskyWorld Other Grain Whisky of the YearRegional Winner: U.S. Craft DistillersAmerican Craft Distiller of the Year2014 Icons of Whisky: AmericaWhisky Brand Innovator of the Year2014 American Distilling Institute AwardsCraft Distillery of the Year (Bubble Cap Award)2013 Icons of Whisky: AmericaCraft Distiller of the YearWhisky Brand Innovator of the Year2012 New York International Spirits CompetitionTennessee Distillery of the Year +Individual AwardsTriple Smoke2017 American Craft Spirits AwardsGold Medal2017 Berlin International Spirits CompetitionBronze Medal2017 New York International Spirits CompetitionGold Medal2017 Whisky Advocate AwardsArtisan Whiskey of the Year2017 American Distilling Institute AwardsSilver Medal2016 American Craft Spirits AwardsGold Medal2014 American Craft Spirits AwardsSilver Medal2014 San Francisco World Spirits CompetitionDouble Gold2014 International Review of Spirits AwardsGold Medal2014 American Distilling Institute AwardsBest of Category, Bronze2012 American Distilling Institute AwardsBronze Medal2011 MicroLiquor Spirits AwardsGold Medal2011 American Distilling Institute AwardsBronze Medal2010 International Review of Spirits Awards, BTIGold Medal2010 American Distilling Institute AwardsSilver Medal2010 San Francisco World Spirits CompetitionGold MedalNashville (discontinued)2017 American Craft Spirits AwardsGold Medal2017 American Distilling Institute AwardsSilver Medal2014 American Distilling Institute AwardsSilver Medal2012 American Distilling Institute AwardsSilver MedalGin2017 American Craft Spirits AwardsBronze Medal2013 The Fifty BestGold Medal2011 International Review of Spirits Awards, BTIGold Medal2011 MicroLiquor Spirits AwardsSilver Medal2009 World Beverage CompetitionGold Medal2009 San Francisco World Spirits CompetitionGold MedalBarrel Aged Gin2018 American Distilling Institute AwardsBronze Medal2016 American Craft Spirits AwardsBronze Medal2016 American Distilling Institute AwardsSilver Medal2014 San Francisco World Spirits CompetitionSilver Medal2013 The Fifty BestDouble Gold2013 American Distilling Institute AwardsBest of Category, Gold2012 NY International Spirits CompetitionSilver Medal2011 San Francisco World Spirits CompetitionGold MedalGenever (discontinued)2017 American Craft Spirits AwardsBronze Medal2017 American Distilling Institute AwardsBronze Medal2016 American Craft Spirits AwardsSilver Medal2015 American Distilling Institute AwardsBest of Category, Gold2014 San Francisco World Spirits CompetitionDouble Gold2014 American Craft Distiller's AwardsGold Medal2013 American Distilling Institute AwardsBronze MedalGreen Malt (discontinued)2017 American Craft Spirits AwardsBronze Medal2017 American Distilling Institute AwardsSilver MedalBuck Yeah (discontinued)2017 American Craft Spirits AwardsBronze Medal2017 American Distilling Institute AwardsBest of Category, Silver2015 American Craft Spirits AwardsSilver Medal2015 American Distilling Institute AwardsBest of Category, SilverRyemageddon2018 American Distilling Institute AwardsSilver Medal2017 American Craft Spirits AwardsBronze Medal2017 Berlin International Spirits CompetitionSilver Medal2017 American Distilling Institute AwardsSilver Medal2016 American Distilling Institute AwardsBest of Category, Gold2015 American Craft Spirits AwardsGold Medal2014 American Craft Spirits AwardsSilver Medal2014 International Review of Spirits AwardsGold Medal2014 San Francisco World Spirits CompetitionGold Medal2013 International Review of Spirits AwardGold Medal2012 American Distilling Institute AwardsSilver MedalCitra Double IPA2017 American Craft Spirits AwardsBronze Medal2012 American Distilling Institute AwardsBest of Category, GoldWildfire (discontinued)2018 American Distilling Institute AwardsSilver Medal2017 Berlin International Spirits CompetitionGold Medal2017 New York International Spirits CompetitionSilver Medal2017 American Distilling Institute AwardsSilver Medal2016 American Craft Spirits AwardsSilver MedalRed Absinthe2017 American Craft Spirits AwardsSilver Medal2014 American Distilling Institute AwardsBronze MedalOatrage (discontinued)2017 Berlin International Spirits CompetitionGold Medal2015 American Distilling Institute AwardsBronze MedalQuinoa Whiskey (discontinued)2013 International Review of Spirits AwardGold Medal2012 American Distilling Institute AwardsBronze Medal2011 New York International Spirits CompetitionSilver MedalGrainiac (discontinued)2017 American Distilling Institute AwardsBronze Medal2012 American Distillers Institute AwardsBest of Class, Best of Category, GoldPumpkin Spice Moonshine2014 American Distilling Institute AwardsBronze Medal2011 MicroLiquor Spirits AwardsBronze Medal2011 San Francisco World Spirits CompetitionBronze MedalWry Moon (discontinued)2010 American Distilling Institute AwardsSilver Medal2010 San Francisco World Spirits CompetitionDouble GoldOatmeal Stout (discontinued)2011 American Distilling Institute AwardsBronze Medal2012 American Distilling Institute AwardsSilver MedalOak Smoked Wheat Whiskey (discontinued)2012 American Distilling Institute AwardsSilver MedalTriticale Whiskey (discontinued)2012 American Distilling Institute AwardsBronze MedalCherrywood Smoke (discontinued)2012 American Distilling Institute AwardsBronze Medal100% Rye (discontinued)2012 American Distilling Institute AwardsSilver Medal2011 MicroLiquor Spirits AwardsGold Medal2011 American Distilling Institute AwardsSilver Medal2010 American Distilling Institute AwardsBronze Medal2010 International Review of Spirits Awards, BTISilver MedalElderflower Bohemian (discontinued)2012 American Distilling Institute AwardsBronze MedalHopmonster (discontinued)2012 NY International Spirits Competition AwardsSilver MedalSteampunk (discontinued)2013 American Distilling Institute AwardsBronze Medal

References

External links Official web site