Corsair Distillery Tour

Rumor has it that the inspiration for Corsair Distillery’s distinctive label came from a trio of drunken, unbothered Scotsmen striding confidently down a Scottish road after an evening of troublemaking and revelry.

That, and the film Reservoir Dogs.

Either way, the spirits produced in this craft distillery are well represented by both its label and legend, bold and unbothered. Corsair’s roots span Kentucky and Tennessee, an area best known for bourbon (and a good bit of moonshine too). But they’re forging their own path, branching out from the whiskey family tree drawn by their regional forefathers.

In addition to the single malt and rye whiskies produced on Corsair’s pre-prohibition pot still (affectionately named “Ethyl”), the current lineup includes an American-style gin, a spiced rum, a barreled gin, and an absinthe.

Each bottle is carefully crafted, developed in small batches with experimentation and care, an answer to the ever-repurposed question “what if we…?” What if we smoked our barley malt with a blend of peat and cherrywood and beechwood? What if we spiced our rum, aged our gin in a barrel, and then put another spirit back in the barrel? What if we ignored all the propaganda around absinthe and made it anyway, tinting it bright red with hibiscus?

As we move through the space, we learn that our tour guide, Carter, has been doing this for years. He knows—and loves—what he’s talking about as ushers us through the small production floor and back across the courtyard to the tasting room for sampling.

Each sip of Corsair’s offerings is different, surprising. The flavors build and compete and then dance back together, never shy, always interesting. The space that the distillery inhabits (location one of two) is similarly complex, an early-1900s automobile factory turned modern retail space and museum. Like the whiskey, it’s easy to get lost in and, more importantly, even easier not to mind.

Slainte, y’all!