Chip Tate built the heart and soul of his first distillery with nothing more than a few dollars and the goodwill of friends. Tate & Company Distillery promises to be his most exciting chapter yet. Using the skills, expertise and relationships he has developed to date, Chip aspires to make Tate & Company the “Mecca” of the craft movement not only through his own distilling projects but through exciting collaborations craft and artisan distillers around the world.
In 2008, Chip breathed new life into an old welding building nestled under a bridge where he welded and pounded out his own copper stills. Those original stills, the two of them, sat toward the back of the distillery. Nestled against the wall, their squat onion shaped pots atop circular brick bases and their narrowing necks disappeared up into the gloom of the ceiling. When those stills reached the end of their lives Chip, the craftsman, set out to hammer, weld, and handcraft four more.
Today, Chip and his team have hand hammered four new beautiful copper stills for his newest distillery. When these stills go online they’ll make Tate & Company Distillery one of the largest craft distillers in North America.
Building a distillery from the ground up, by hand, is a monumental undertaking. But, not cutting corners and doing things the right way—no matter how long they take—underscores the care and attention to detail we put into every spirit we distill. Located in Waco, Texas, the Tate & Company Distillery is a testament to the pioneering spirit of the craft industry. From the four hand hammered stills we shaped and welded ourselves, to the meticulous selection of grains and barrels we use to distill and mature our spirits, our distillery’s mission is to ensure that each and every glass is an experience.
As is often the case with great artisanal products a great distiller needs an intimate knowledge of their stills to produce the best possible expressions. We decided to build our own stills by hand, not because it was faster or less expensive—in fact, quite the opposite—but, because we believe in pushing the boundaries of what a great distilled spirit can be and refining that process to best fit that vision.
Chip Tate began Tate Craft Copperworks Stillmakers to produce a new generation of stills using his own designs, refined from years of careful observation, operation, scientific experimentation, and countless tasting sessions. These stills represent what we hope will be a leap forward for the craft industry and spirits industry at large.
Hand-crafting spirits is as much an art-form as it is science. Our love for artisanal products extends to using every aspect of our production in new and creative ways. From custom flight boards made from broken barrel staves and copper offcuts from our stills1, to high-quality apparel made here in the USA by local artisans, we strive in everything we do to create the ultimate craft experience.
1 Custom copper etched flight boards coming soon.
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 […]
“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. […]
“[…] 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, […]
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