What Is Corsair Distillery?
The brainchild of childhood friends and Nashville natives Darek Bell and Andrew Webber, Corsair is a distillery with a difference. From their two Nashville bases, they produce unique small batch products with a focus on innovation. In their own words, 'Innovate or die'.
The History of Corsair Distillery
Bell and Webber started out brewing beer and wine in Bell's garage whilst also trying to create a bio-diesel plant prototype. This latter project hit a few snags so Webber suggested, Wouldn't making whiskey be a whole lot more satisfying.
Yes, was the answer. They read up on the science of distilling and, shortly after, Corsair was born.
They established their first distillery in Bowling Green, Kentucky in 2008. Soon after their Nashville ties saw them set up a second, then a third, both in their home city. By 2018 they had moved their entire operation to these locations, where it remains today.
What Do Corsair Distillery Make?
Far from your average distillery, Corsair focus on using unusual ingredients to make delicious and interesting new products. Numbered among these are red absinthe, barrel-aged gin, and a one of a kind quinoa whiskey which achieved nationwide acclaim when it was featured on cooking show Chopped.
This innovative range of products has won them over 800 medals in national and international spirits competitions, and has earned them plaudits from the likes of Food and Wine, Saveur, Whiskey Magazine and Timeout New York.
And their work isn't limited to distilling. The fruits of their early labour in Bell's garage can also be seen in the craft beers they now brew.
Visiting Corsair Distillery
The original Nashville location, operating since 2010, is in Marathon Village and runs regular tours and guided tastings alongside a bottle shop, taproom and kitchen.
Tours with a tasting cost $18 and without cost $10. The distillery is closed Tuesdays, but open 12-7pm every other day of the week. Tours run on the hour every hour between 1-5pm, six days a week, with an extra 6pm tour on Saturdays.
Corsair's second location, and HQ since 2016, is at 601 Merritt Avenue in the industrial Wedgewood-Houston neighborhood. This is open from 12-7pm Thursday-Sunday.
Tours here also run on the hour every hour from 1-5pm and cost $20 with a tasting. On top of this cocktail classes are offered at the price of $65 a head.
Interested in finding more places like this? Try one of our CityDays Scavenger Hunts - untangle cryptic clues as a team as you discover the most unique, unusual and bizarre corners of Nashville and beyond.