What has Chip Tate done in the whiskey world to earn his titles ‘Bad Boy’ of Whiskey and ‘Booze Rebel’?

Chip Tate has been making whiskey for a long time. He has experimented with every little aspect of whiskey creation. IBWSS USA talks to him about his namesake Tate & Co. Distillery, and what he is creating here.

Celebrated leader in the craft distilling industry, Chip Tate is the founder of Tate & Co. Distillery and Tate Craft Copperworks. He launched his career in distilling along with his first distillery in 2008, where he used his beer brewing experience in whisky-making. From welding and hammering his own copper stills to finding new whisky traditions, his work is internationally acclaimed by leading industry experts. Known for drawing concepts from centuries of distilling, he is continuously setting the bar high for distillers using his creativity and innovation. Chip’s innovation and vision for his spirits helped him win more than 150 national and international awards, some of which include Craft Whisky Distiller of the Year by Whisky Magazine for both 2012 and 2014, Whisky Magazine’s Icon award, and US Craft Distillery of the Year for 2012. Moving on in his journey, Chip expects to lead the craft distilling movement and empower locally made craft spirits.

In 2008 Chip Tate founded Balcones Distillery from an old workshop under a bridge in Waco Texas. From those humble beginnings Balcones went on to become one of the most successful Craft distilleries in the USA.

The work Chip did with Balcones changed the Craft Distillery Landscape in the U.S, and inspired many start ups around the world, including England’s White Peak Distillery @whitepeakdistillery

A man who has been labelled a ‘Bad Boy’ of Whisky by some media, and a ‘Booze Rebel’ by Playboy Magazine, Chip Tate’s story has had its ups and downs.

One thing is clear though, Chip Tate is a world class distiller with a passion for making the best Whisky possible.
He already has a highly successful distillery behind him, and now with new venture Tate and Co Distillery he is sure to do it all again.

I for one can’t wait to visit Waco, and share a dram with the Maverick of American Whisky!

New with English Whiskies

“The Lone Star State, the largest in terms of square mileage in the continental U.S. as well as one of its most populous, encompasses a wide range of home-grown spirits. In other words, don’t mess with Texas.

Its pioneering attitude and diverse population means a sometimes unconventional approach. From Austin to Waco and beyond, there’s plenty of whiskey, an iconic vodka brand and surprise detours through rakia, sotol and more.

Wine Enthusiast October 2020

“[…] At the time, the industry was more rivalrous than friendly and was dominated by the big, swaggering personalities of Garrison Brothers founder Dan Garrison and Balcones founder Chip Tate, each of whom had ambitions to conquer the world with his products, not someone else’s. Tate wrote about wanting to create whiskeys that captured Texas’s ‘maverick tendencies, its climate, its restrictions and its freedoms, and its fierce notions of independence,’ and he was lionized as a visionary in the whiskey press, which compared him to Steve Jobs and Michelangelo.”

Texas Monthly, October 2019

The often-delayed debut of maverick distiller Chip Tate’s second act in the whisky business is a step closer to fruition, now that Tate & Company has received its Distilled Spirits Plant permit from the Treasury Department’s Alcohol & Tobacco Tax & Trade Bureau. The “DSP” is the basic federal permit required for operating a distillery, and requires an extensive list of disclosures from would-be distillers along with a background check and site review in a process that averages around six months.

Whiskycast – July 5, 2017

In the craft whisky movement, Chip Tate is a something of a virtuoso. Not only is his distillery, Tate & Company, establishing a new tradition of Texas whisky, but Chip is elevating the distillation process itself, handcrafting his own hammered copper stills. Here Chip distills advice for other entrepreneurs.

Popular Mechanics – September 2016

True to form, Chip Tate is doing nothing the easy way as he turns an old contractor’s barn into Tate & Co. Distillery.

On a sweltering July afternoon last week, he was blasting a giant sheet of copper with a wand of blue flame to soften it so he could hammer it into a still.

Then he doffed his heavy leather jacket, wiped the sweat off his brow, took a sip of whiskey and gave a quick tour of the distillery he is building by hand at 7324 Steinbeck Bend Road.

He hopes late this year or early next year to be distilling a variety of liquors, starting with Texas brandies and adding whiskey next spring. And he plans to keep building stills to sell for the burgeoning craft distillery market.

Building a distillery from scratch is nothing new for Tate, nor is his attitude of DIY perfectionism. In 2008, he turned an old shed under a Waco bridge into Balcones Distilling Co., which quickly won international awards and publicity.

Waco Tribune-Herald

“Tate & Company Distillery is the next incarnation of Tate’s dream: A new crew, a better facility and more capacity all offer opportunity for growth. With a stable financial foundation, along with a bounty of hard-won wisdom, forward motion is easier than looking back. Having a solid reputation and a network of supporters in the spirits industry also helps.”

Distiller Magazine, July 2016

“Pioneers like Chip Tate, founder of the Balcones distillery in Texas whose time there ended in acrimony, has since reimagined his career with Tate & Company Distillery, which will aim to make a mark with Texas brandy, whiskey and rum.”

Forbes