Chattanooga Whiskey has tapped Tiana Saul to serve as its head distiller. Saul succeeds founding head distiller Grant McCracken, who will continue as chief product officer.
Saul began her career with Chattanooga Whiskey in 2015 as the assistant manager at the Chattanooga Whiskey Experimental Distillery before transitioning to the production team in 2017.
Over the next four years, she worked on or helped lead nearly every aspect of the production process.
Saul shifted her focus to new product development in 2018. She developed a variety of expressions, including barrel-aged gins and infused liqueurs.
As head distiller, Saul will lead a production team of 15 full-time employees and cover all aspects of production, grain-to-glass.
“Over the years, Tiana has shown a keen eye for the details, a unique sense of style and a natural understanding of leadership,” McCracken says. “The entire team has always looked up to her in every aspect of what we do.”
“I could not find a more knowledgeable and passionate team to work with and am grateful for the chance to build on the foundation Grant laid. I’m looking forward to continuing to push the boundaries of the craft spirits world.”
As chief product officer, McCracken will focus on strategic planning goals related to expansion, innovation and continuous improvement.
Joining Chattanooga Whiskey as its first head distiller in 2014, McCracken led the creation of a whiskey style known as Tennessee High Malt and the product transition from the 1816 expressions to the release of Chattanooga Whiskey 91 and Cask 111.
Over McCracken’s eight years with the company, he’s led the release of over 100 unique experimental and flagship expressions and helped the company achieve the title of America’s Craft Producer of the Year for 2023 by Whisky Magazine.
“Although I’ll continue to work with Tiana on high level production matters, I’m also excited about helping our team lay the groundwork for what comes next,” says McCracken.
Source: Chattanooga Whiskey