Corsair Artisan Distillery emerged from a garage beer-brewing hobby in Nashville in 2008, when childhood friends Darek Bell and Andrew Webber pivoted from homebrewing to the more intellectually challenging (and rewarding) world of distillation. Originally launched in Bowling Green, Kentucky, Corsair moved to Nashville in 2010 and became the first craft distillery in the city since Prohibition—a significant cultural marker for a city that had been bourbon-centric but not distillery-forward. What makes Corsair **genuinely distinctive** isn't tourism or heritage marketing—it's radical experimental thinking. This is a distillery that asks: "What if we made whiskey from **quinoa**? What if we smoked grain with **cherry wood** instead of peat? What if we created a 9-grain bourbon?" While most craft distilleries play it safe with bourbon-style templates, Corsair treats whiskey-making like scientific R&D. Darek Bell wrote the literal textbook: *Alt Whiskeys*, a guide to alternative grain recipes and distilling techniques now studied by craft distillers worldwide. The results speak for themselves. At the American Distilling Institute awards (the craft spirits industry's most prestigious competition), Corsair has won more awards than any other craft distillery—sometimes taking home 16+ medals in a single year. They've been named "Craft Distillery of the Year" multiple times and "Innovator of the Year" repeatedly. Their Triple Smoke expression won "Artisan Whiskey of the Year" from Whisky Advocate and gold at both New York and San Francisco World Spirits Competitions. This isn't novelty—it's **legitimately world-class innovation**. Corsair's Nashville operation now occupies the historic Yazoo Brewery building at Marathon Motorworks Village (1200 Clinton St), positioning them at the center of Nashville's growing craft spirits scene alongside Rabbit Hole and other next-generation distilleries.
- More ADI Awards than any other craft distillery: — consistently winning 12–18 medals per year at American Distilling Institute competitions
- Only craft distillery in Nashville since Prohibition: (when they opened in 2010)
- Darek Bell's "Alt Whiskeys" book: — literally wrote the curriculum for alternative-grain whiskey making, studied by craft distillers globally
- Quinoa Whiskey: — 80% malted barley, 20% unmalted quinoa seeds; won silver at 2011 New York International Spirits Competition
- Triple Smoke (their flagship): — malted barley smoked over peated, beechwood, and cherry wood; gold at both NY and SF World Spirits Comps; Whisky Advocate Artisan Whiskey of the Year
- Grainiac 9 Grain Bourbon: — beat 240+ other spirits to win best spirit overall at ADI awards; represents their grain experimentation philosophy
- Trained at Bruichladdich (Islay): — Darek Bell studied at Scotland's renowned distillery academy
- Closed Bowling Green original location in 2018: — consolidated operations to Nashville headquarters at Marathon Motorworks to increase production capacity
- "Innovator of the Year" multiple times: — craft spirits industry recognition for pushing boundaries
- Focuses on non-conventional smoked grains, buckwheat, triticale, and oats: — philosophically opposed to bourbon-template thinking