American Spirit whiskies, vodka and gin. Since 2018,
he old phrase goes that clarity isn’t usually found at the bottom
of the bottle, but it may just have been for long-time college
friends Jim Chasteen and Charlie Thompson.
A shared love for rye whiskey provided the duo with more
than just a drinking buddy. It created a successful business
partnership as founders of Atlanta-based ASW Distillery, an
innovative craft spirit brewing company.
The distillery currently has three locations around Atlanta
with its most recent store opening in the Battery Atlanta in
March 2021. Unique to this location is a vodka and gin
distillery, new additions to the company’s impressive product
line. This line includes rye, bourbon, single and double malt
10 COBB LIFE | SEPTEMBER 2022
ASW has been America’s most
awarded craft whiskey distillery,
according to the owner.
Pioneering this impressive
portfolio of spirits was Chasteen and
Thompson’s first whiskey: American
Spirit Whiskey. The tale of the
spirit’s origins was told to Cobb Life
by ASW’s Chief Marketing O‹cer
Chad Ralston.
Distillery Dudes
Ralston said the Chasteen and
Thompson would get together to
drink rye whiskey back in their days
at the University of Georgia. Their
love for the drink inspired them to
want to start a whiskey brand of
their own. After research, they
fine-tuned the recipe for American
Spirit Whiskey and partnered with a
contract distillery in Charleston to
produce it. Ralston described this
original product saying, “It was a
clear whiskey. Very light aged.”
whiskey
How ASW Distillery came to the Battery
Wr i t t e n b y J a y d e n H e n s o n
P h o t o s b y T h o m a s H a r twe l l