WaterCooler goes to Corsair Distillery for Exclusive Tasting & Tour

If you missed the last WaterCooler, you missed a great event!  Nashville's only distillery, Corsair, gave us a behind-the-scenes tour of how they make and distill what is quickly becoming one of the most sought-after small batch liquors in the U.S. when they hosted us in April 2011. 

Located in Marathon Village, which used to house Yazoo Brewery, Corsair had to work mighty hard to even get up and running in Tennessee. 

Darek Bell

Because Tennessee's laws and Nashville's laws were so onerous, Corsair actually began in Bowling Green, Kentucky.  Only after they were able to convince the state and local lawmakers to allow them to "manufacture intoxicating liquors" were they able to come back home. 

As part of a private event for WaterCooler, co-owners Darek Bell and Andrew Webber showed us around, told the story behind Corsair, and gave us samples in their tasting room.  The Tennessean just reported that members of the public won't get this same opportunity until the laws are changed. 

Andrew Webber

To join the invitation list and receive news about upcoming WaterCooler events, shoot me an email. Thanks to everyone who showed up.  See you at the next on on May 9 at Conexion Americas! 

Here are some photos from WaterCooler at Corsair:

Griffin Technology Hosts WaterCooler

WaterCooler is a monthly networking event for "young" entrepreneurs.  (I take liberty with use of the word "young" since my co-founder and I are pushing 40, and since we'd like to stay involved for a while.  With that in mind, we include anyone in their 20s, 30s and 40s.)  We started this fun venture in September 2009 and highlight a different local business or expert each time.  Lately we've been enjoying the field trips, visiting Yazoo Brewery, Olive & Sinclair Chocolate Co., and (coming up on April 18) Corsair Distillery.  It's a casual way to meet others who are active in the business, cultural and philanthropic worlds of Nashville.  Hopefully connections will be made at WaterCooler that spur new entrepreneurial and community collaborations.  If you'd like to be added to the list, email me at szralek@bonelaw.com.

Griffin Technology graciously hosted us on April 23.  Jackie Ballinger, its Marketing and PR guru, welcomed each guest and provided us with an incredible array of food and drink.  Also greeting guests as they arrived was this VW bus, which employees use for impromptu meetings, and which Griffin has traveled in for marketing at SXSW and Bonnaroo, to name a few:

Photo courtesy of Griffin Technology

Mark Rowan, Griffin's President, spoke about its background, its international reach and its commitment to Nashville. 

Photo courtesy of Griffin Technology

It was clear that Griffin is a dominant player in the global tech scene, and we're lucky to have it right here in our own backyard.

After, Jackie led us on a tour of their new work space.  We saw the wall of awesome accessory covers, the vending machine stocked with beer, and the work station decked out in action figures -- none of which is a regular feature where most of us work:

In the highest form of flattery (jealousy), everyone decided to ditch their current job and apply to work at Griffin. 

Here are some photos of the event: