ASW Distillery sits in Atlanta’s Armour industrial district, founded in 2016 by Justin Manglitz, Jim Chasteen, and Charlie Thompson. The trio converted a 6,000-square-foot warehouse into Georgia’s first whiskey distillery since Prohibition, installing custom copper stills and creating a production facility that cranks out bourbon, rye, gin, and rum. Manglitz, a former McKinsey consultant, teamed up with Chasteen’s business acumen and Thompson’s engineering background to tackle Atlanta’s complex distilling regulations and bring craft spirits back to the city. The operation centers around their 500-gallon copper pot still and 26-foot rectifying column, producing everything from their flagship Fiddler bourbon to Duality double malt whiskey. Master distiller Justin Manglitz draws from both Scottish and American whiskey traditions, aging spirits in new American oak and finishing some expressions in wine barrels. The team’s commitment to local sourcing shows in their use of Georgia-grown corn and their partnerships with Atlanta-area businesses for everything from barrel aging to cocktail ingredients. Visitors walk through an active production facility where you can see grain milling, fermentation tanks bubbling away, and barrels aging in climate-controlled warehouses. The tasting room occupies the front of the building with industrial-chic vibes—exposed brick, steel beams, and windows looking into the distillery floor. You’re not just sampling spirits here; you’re watching them get made, often with distillers happy to explain their process while pulling samples straight from barrels.