Corsair Distillery: Nashville's Innovate or Die Craft Distillery
Corsair is a small batch craft distillery in Nashville, Tennessee, founded in Bowling Green, Kentucky, in 2008 by childhood friends Darek Bell and Andrew Webber.
Key facts
Location: Nashville, Tennessee
Founded: January 2008 in Bowling Green, Kentucky
Founders and owners: Darek Bell and Andrew Webber
Nashville opened: 2010, the first legal craft distillery in Nashville since Prohibition
Third site: Wedgewood-Houston, 2016, now headquarters
Bowling Green closed: 31 August 2018
Rebrand: March 2020
History
Bell and Webber began by homebrewing beer and wine in Bell's garage. A biodiesel plant prototype ran into trouble, and Webber suggested making whiskey instead.
Because of their Tennessee roots they opened a Nashville site in 2010. A third site in the Wedgewood-Houston area followed in 2016. The Bowling Green distillery closed on 31 August 2018 as Corsair focused on Nashville and national distribution.
In March 2020 Corsair rebranded to simplify its line, changing spirit names and proofs. During the COVID-19 pandemic it made hand sanitizer and donated large quantities to healthcare facilities.
Approach
Corsair uses the motto Innovate or Die. It is known for unusual grains such as quinoa, buckwheat, spelt and triticale, plus malted and smoked whiskeys and multi grain bourbons. Its quinoa whiskey featured on the cooking show Chopped.
By 2018 Corsair had made 28 distinct spirits, with 11 typically on sale, six seasonal or experimental and 11 discontinued. It reported over 800 competition medals in 2018.
From the official site
The Corsair home page describes the brand as award winning, craft distilled spirits, says it has been awarded over 450 medals, and highlights innovative whiskeys, gins and unusual spirits. The menu lists a Marathon Distillery and Taproom, tours and tastings, a shop with spirits shipped direct, and an awards page. The footer shows Corsair Artisan, LLC and Nashville, Tennessee.
The 450 medals figure is the company's own claim.
Frequently asked questions
Who founded Corsair?
Darek Bell and Andrew Webber.
Is Corsair still in Bowling Green?
No. That distillery closed in August 2018.
Does Corsair offer tours?
Wikipedia says tours are offered at its Nashville locations.
Sources and gaps
Wikipedia: Corsair Artisan Distillery (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corsair_Artisan_Distillery)
Corsair official site, Our Story (corsairdistillery.com/our-story), snippet only
Corsair official site home page (corsairdistillery.com), read 20 October 2026
Gaps: the About and Story pages returned 404 or did not load, so founding dates, current ownership, stills, range and ABVs are not verified beyond Wikipedia. Tour details were not read. Set the slug by hand.
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