Jim Chasteen and Chad Ralston

Founder and Chief Acorn Officer of ASW Distillery

By The Atlanta Story

September 24^th, 2020

The Atlanta Story podcast features meaningful stories of Atlanta’s builders, creators, and entrepreneurs. In this episode Jon Birdsong sits down with Jim Chasteen and Chad Ralston, the minds and marketing behind ASW Distillery.

After fiddling around in college, Jim and his college friend, Charlie Thompson decided to take the leap from corporate America and start making their own whiskey. After recruiting a stellar team including Chad and their head brewer Justin Manglitz, they began building: brick by brick and sip by sip. We talk about the economics of building a whiskey distillery today, how they’ve marketed their product, and what it feels like winning the Oscars of their industry.

"Whatever you do, make it iconic."

The Atlanta Story is put together by the folks at Atlanta Ventures -- and we can’t wait to share some of the personalities behind the brand. Atlanta Ventures invests in entrepreneurs through community, content, and capital -- most notably through our Studio with companies like Greenzie and Intown Golf Club. We believe the best entrepreneurs learn from other great artists in different fields.

In this episode, we discuss…

Jim walks us through the origin story of ASW Distillery. (1:47)
Jim walks us through the creative naming process of each product. (4:39)
What did Chad and Justin Manglitz see about ASW Distillery that made them galvanized about the opportunity? (7:00)
The two share about the transitions from full time work as a side hustle, then making the transition to full time at the distillery. (9:22)
Chad walks us through the creative naming process of each product. (14:00)
Jim dives into the Duality Double Malt backstory, market, and recognition. (15:54)
Chad talks about the Duality Double Malt branding and “easter eggs”. (21:16)
How did the ASW team plant its flag in the “Whiskey Culture of America” locally. (23:15)
How did the ASW team plant its flag in the “American Craft Moment” nationally. (27:15)
What is the “secret sauce” of ASW. (29:51)
Jim does a rundown of all the awards the team’s racked up this past year. (34:02)
How does the team provide creative flexibility and foster an autonomous culture? (35:53)
What does marketing look like from the consumer side? (37:48)
Jim shares the financial stats behind ASW Distillery. (40:22)
How has Covid-19 affected ASW Distillery? (43:25)
How have tours been affected and what do they look like moving forward? (46:30)
Why Atlanta and what has Atlanta done for you? (49:48)