It’s good to be the king, and it’s good to live in an exclusive enclave like Westhaven, the tony planned community outside of Franklin that I’m just guessing leads the state in pickleball court installations per month. But to cut them some slack, I should definitely compliment the community on establishing the Westhaven Foundation, a 501(c)3 that raises money to help various causes in Williamson County, including building Habitat for Humanity houses (with pickleball courts ... just kidding) and supporting the building and upkeep of a nature trail system.
The Foundation is the beneficiary of the upcoming Whiskey Warmer tasting event on Saturday, April 1, from 6 to 9 p.m. at the Skube Swimming Center, which I swear to God, also has pickleball courts. You can look it up!
In addition to distillers pouring samples of dozens of premium whiskeys, scotches and bourbons, the event will feature bluegrass music playing throughout the night, food trucks, a cigar lounge and more. VIP tickets have already sold out, but general admission tix are still available for $54 at the event website.
Frequent Whiskey Wednesday readers probably know how much I like Chattanooga Whiskey and their products, but it seems I’m not their only fan. At the recent Icons of Whisky Awards presented by Whisky magazine, Chattanooga was named 2023 Craft Producer of the Year for their experimental distilling practices and their efforts to create an entirely new genre of spirits they call Tennessee High Malt — and which I call “daddy night-night juice.”
Unwilling to rest on their laurels, Chattanooga Whiskey has recently announced a move to continue taking them forward in the future. Earlier this month, the distillery revealed that they have promoted Tiana Saul to head distiller, taking the place of original head distiller Grant McCraken. Saul will continue to work closely with McCracken in his role as Chief Product Officer and concentrates on the strategic direction of future releases.
Grant McCracken and Tiana Saul
Saul will oversee a production staff of 15, having risen through the ranks herself from assistant manager of the retail shop to the production team. She has already been involved in creating and blending several fantastic spirits during her tenure at Chattanooga Whiskey, and we should continue to expect great things out of her and the distillery going forward.
