Branchwater Distillery

Branchwater Distillery
115 2nd Avenue Northwest
Winchester, TN 37398
931-636-7556

Our story begins in a time where moonshiners and bootleggers weren't just misfits and outlaws. They were independent, determined, hard-working folks; living in a time where jobs were scarce, and putting food on the table was often accompanied by the ever-present risk of a run in with the law. Enter the life of a moonshiner.

​To be a successful moonshiner, you needed 3 things: ingenuity, patience, and little bit of luck. It just so happened that Bud Kelley’s great grandfather, Dave Johnson, had a little patience, a little luck, and a great deal of ingenuity; all cultivated by years of producing some of West Tennessee’s finest white liquor.

While Dave’s product was great in its own right, it was his ingenuity that inspired the name of our distillery – Branchwater. Depending on the day that you ask Bud Kelley, you might get a different answer for the reason behind the name. But more times than not, you’ll hear the age old story of how Bud’s great grandfather left many revenuers scratching their heads, by using a strong branch and pulley system to keep his equipment suspended high above the law, as they searched frantically among the woods below for his famed copper still.

At Branchwater, we aim to keep this rich tradition alive and cooking inside our old fashioned copper still, appropriately named - Dave. It’s our mission to recreate these memories and legends with each sip of our carefully crafted shine. So please pull up a rocking chair, fold down a tailgate, or put that old recliner to work as you enjoy the taste of our tradition.